Team 7's Ascension
by Eilyfe
Summary: To Kakashi, the Genin of Team 7 were morons of the highest order. Despite that, he still saw the potential in each of them and he'd be damned before he let it go to waste. Features a strong Kakashi, a less forgiving Sandaime, and three terrified Genin. (Rated T at the moment, but will go up to M eventually.)
1. I - Gentle Dog, Soft Monkey

**Stuff to get out of the way: **Well, those of you that read my other FF, MotA, can now officially call me a liar! Great, isn't it? A few months ago I took down my old version of this story with the excuse that it was poorly written and that I wanted to solely concentrate on finishing my HP FF.

I'm kinda stuck on MotA right now though – don't worry, it will still continue – so I thought it might be appropriate to focus my energy on something else for the moment. I completely rewrote the old 'Team 7's Ascension, so even for people who already read the old version, this should hold a lot of new and exciting stuff.

Most importantly, it reflects my current writing style – grammar, punctuation, vocabulary... you know the spiel – something that was painfully lacking in the old version.

**Summary: **To Kakashi, the Genin of Team 7 were morons of the highest order. Despite that, he still saw the potential in each of them and he'd be damned before he let it go to waste. Features a strong Kakashi, a less forgiving Sandaime, and three terrified Genin.

The shinōbi world is definitely darker in my story than it is in cannon. Blood, gore, death, sexuality – all of these things will, at certain points, play a role in this fiction. There's a reason why the story is rated as mature.

For further notice, the Jutsu names will be written in Japanese, as will some expressions; although those will be less common. At the end of each chapters there will be an index of the used new techniques, and I apologize in advance if some of them don't make sense to a native, or knowledgeable, speaker of Japanese. I'm far from proficient in the language and the online translator _will_ be my faithful companion.

If someone wants to use my invented techniques, I probably won't have anything against it. Though I do request the common courtesy of asking for permission.

**Disclaimer:**_ Everything belongs to the rightful owner of Naruto._

* * *

**Team 7's Ascension **

_Written by Eilyfe_

_Beta'd by Twice Charmed One_

**Chapter I – Gentle Dog, Soft Monkey**

* * *

"_But, I didn't even learn the Jutsu," Naruto fingered the cloth of his new forehead protector nervously. His blue eyes were slightly widened. _

"_Naruto, listen to me," Iruka said and his hands came to rest on the blond prankster's shoulders. The teacher's voice was gentle, but undeniably tinged with sorrow. _

"_Mizuki," Iruka spat out the name contemptuously. It left a foul taste on his tongue. "He lied to you, to all of us... you did Konoha proud when you fought him."_

"_Are you sure?" _

"_I am," Iruka answered. "And never forget that, tonight, you made Konoha just a bit safer."_

_Then, the teacher's expression formed into a grin and he ruffled Naruto's hair. "Exactly what you would expect from a future Hokage, ne?"_

* * *

Iruka's heartfelt words had been comforting and he was very grateful for them. Even now, Naruto felt a bit of warmth spreading through his body when he thought back to the reassurance the Chunin had given him. Nonetheless, he couldn't help the feeling that his _accomplishments_ of last night and every revelation it entailed meant nothing to the man who currently stood in front of him.

Surreptitiously, Naruto glanced to his right and saw that neither Sakura, nor Sasuke showed any visible reaction to the strange staring contest he had started with the weird looking Jōnin who had entered their lives a few minutes ago. Outwardly, both of them sat as still as statues. Naruto could smell it though – the aura of nervousness around them, yes, even from the stoical Uchiha.

It filled his nostrils like a particularly rich aroma; not that he indulged in it, but if _he_ noticed it... chances were high that the man who had introduced himself as Hatake Kakashi did too.

Jōnin were the elite of the village, just below the Hokage and, _at least_, on equal standing with the masked shadows who preserved the village's peace. Oftentimes, Jōnin were even stronger than their masked counterparts. They had to be, really. Without the anonymity ANBU granted its members, the Jōnin who openly showed their faces – as teachers or on diplomatic missions – were walking pits of potential money for bounty hunters.

The path toward the rank of Jōnin was a bloody and gruesome one, and those who traversed it often managed to rack up bounties numbering in the millions.

Naruto suppressed a sigh. He was rather subdued after the Mizuki incident. Although deception was one of the basic shinōbi tools, such blatant betrayal had shocked him to the core – it certainly had shattered his naive impression of Konoha. Despite the old man's best efforts, despite the many masked shinōbi, despite all the Jōnin they had... his beloved home could still be infiltrated.

The stare of his new sensei, which made him feel utterly insignificant, didn't help his state of mind. The Jōnin was garbed in the usual shinōbi wear, indicating his rank. He leaned lazily against the roof's railing, his arms crossed, and silvery hair shining brightly under the sun's harsh gaze.

"Haruno Sakura," he spoke up at last, causing the pink-haired girl to fidget slightly. "Above average intelligence... praised by the faculty as an exemplary student. Reports state that you are miles ahead of your female peers."

Sakura smiled, the complete opposite of Naruto's expression. Not out of spite, of course, but rather because all of his senses screamed at him that something was wrong. The way the Jōnin spoke of his crush felt _off_, and even though he was usually convinced of Sakura's awesomeness, he also knew that her skills in the physical department were lacking a bit.

Was the man toying with her?

A sharp look entered the Jōnin's eye, a mixture of barely veiled annoyance and disgust. "Two weeks ago the Hokage informed me that I was to become your sensei upon your graduation... can you guess what I did after I acquired this information?"

Naruto had a fair few ideas, but somehow he doubted that the Jōnin had taken a bath in noodle-broth. He wisely decided that silence was appropriate for the moment.

When none of the Genin answered him, Kakashi continued, "I issued a few surveillance missions... for two weeks, you were followed by a pair of Chunin who compiled reports – unbiased reports – about your behavior, abilities, and potential. Mind you, the Chunin's I chose disregarded everything your academy instructors had written down."

The Jōnin abandoned his place against the railing and walked over to Sakura who looked decidedly uncomfortable with the man's attention on her.

He crouched down and looked directly into her moss-green eyes. "I wonder how you did it... bribes? Or, perhaps, do you have to thank your father for some well-written recommendations? Maybe the instructors _are_ incompetent, but that would be worrying, wouldn't it? The institution tasked with preparing Konoha's future... unable to properly evaluate a student."

"Miles ahead of your peers?" Kakashi said, laughing derisively. "I don't think so... extremely low reserves – low enough that the control you pride yourself on doesn't matter, a lack of physical skill that would even lead to defeat against civilians... one _Kawarimi_, two _Bunshin_, and the _Henge_ for ten minutes – that is the extent of your abilities."

Each word hit the pink-haired teenager like a sledgehammer as the Jōnin viciously tore everything apart she had prided herself on. Naruto bit his lips furiously – hard enough to draw blood anyway – to keep himself from intervening in a fit of righteous anger.

He doubted that it would help Sakura in any shape or form at the moment.

Naruto closed his eyes in frustration, fighting down the negative emotions that threatened to burst forth when he saw first tears pool in Sakura's eyes.

Kakashi turned his head away from the little girl he had just crushed completely and looked over to the Uchiha. Sasuke observed the Jōnin with the expression of a cornered tiger, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

"Ah, the vaunted prodigy, Uchiha Sasuke," Kakashi began, closing his eye nonchalantly. "Honestly, I expected more – _much more_. Your credible skills are shadowed by your arrogance, the potential for greatness unseen behind a wall of foolish pride. In truth, I confess myself disappointed to see nothing more than a little boy with... _issues_."

It took a moment for Sasuke to truly grasp the depth of the insult – as closely as it might have been lining the truth – and Naruto only registered a blur in his vision after the Uchiha's face had contorted in rage. It was the kind of speed that had earned the boy the moniker _Tensai_, yet it seemed to hardly inconvenience the Jōnin.

A blood-curling scream echoed over the balcony and when the short-lived battle came to a standstill, Naruto's eyes widened; the icy sensation of fear grasped greedily at his heart. How the Jōnin had deflected the stab, he didn't know... the result was clear though: blood leaked out of the Uchiha's wound as he screamed, pinned to the ground with a kunai driven directly through his hand.

"That's exactly what I meant," Kakashi commented dispassionately. "You're _less_ than nothing, your childish problems are insignificant and if you don't start to reign in your arrogance, then you'll be simply regarded as a faulty exploding tag – a risk to yourself, to your team, _to your village_."

"Sen-"

The Jōnin quelled Sakura's shocked outburst with a single glare and Naruto gulped, knowing exactly who'd be the next one to receive the attention of their sensei. "Uzumaki Naruto – village fool, pariah, completely unfit for duty. I didn't want to believe in these reports, didn't want to even consider that a possible shinōbi of Konoha could be that weak. Do you know what I learned?"

Naruto shook his head cautiously, warily waiting for the hammer to fall. The man had completely destroyed his teammates with a few words; he had no doubt the same was about to happen to him.

"You can be proud of yourself," the outlines under Kakashi's mask formed a grim smile. "Indeed, the academy reports about you were wrong..."

"_... You're even worse_."

Naruto growled when the Jōnin started to clap mockingly, but the earlier display of Sasuke kept him in his seat.

"These two," Kakashi pointed to Sasuke and Sakura. "They aren't much better, I give you that... they, however, have at least tried to apply themselves somewhat. You did nothing. Silly games, childish pranks – do you think the life of a shinōbi is easy? That it's carefree?"

The Jōnin grabbed Naruto by the scruff of his neck and pulled him harshly over to the small puddle of blood Sasuke had left behind after being stabbed. The copper smell assaulted his nose when his face was held inches away from the blood.

"_This_ is the reality of our life, Uzumaki Naruto. We deal in blood – either ours, or our enemies'."

"I-"

"Silence," Kakashi interrupted sharply, then glared at all of them. "Your attitudes aren't just dangerous to yourself, they're deadly to those you swore to protect when you accepted your _Hitai-ate_. How you act is an insult to every shinōbi that died for Konoha!"

Kakashi yanked Naruto back from the puddle and quickly loosened his grip, sending the blond crashing into Sasuke. "Normally, I'd pass none of you. _Kami_, I'd probably make sure that you'd never again have the chance to enter the corps. Unfortunately though, Hokage-sama instructed me to take you under my wing. I don't like it, and by now, _you_ probably don't like it either. _That_ doesn't matter though – an order is an order."

He graced them with a last, suffering glance. "Tomorrow morning, seven o'clock, training ground thirteen. Don't be late."

* * *

Steely, gray eyes bore into him, but Kakashi who had years of experience didn't falter under the unrelenting stare of his leader. He sat in the deceptively welcoming looking office, and sunk deeper into the deceptively comfy cushions of his chair while being scrutinized by a man that could squash him like a bug if he so desired. Kakashi knew that it would take only a single snap of the Hokage for his head to roll, severed from his body by his former colleagues in ANBU.

_Kami help me_, he thought. The Sandaime didn't look pleased with him. Not at all.

"For your sake, Kakashi, I hope that you have a good reason for what you did," Sarutobi said. "Allowances have been made in the past – indeed, in the last few years I gave you a lot of leeway... especially concerning your lack of proper protocol. But this? What possessed you?"

Kakashi didn't falter and answered immediately, "Was anything I told them wrong, Sandaime-sama?"

"Wrong?" Sarutobi spat; it was an incredibly rare gesture of the wizened man. "You assaulted the last Uchiha! You reduced the daughter of Haruno to a sobbing mess!"

The Hokage reigned in his voice and continued in a chilling whisper. "Do you even know how much trouble you would have, had I not vouched for you? Wake up, Kakashi! The council is vying for your blood!"

Sarutobi rose from his chair and flicked his hand, indicating for his personal guards to leave the room. As soon as he felt that every source of life beside his own and that of Kakashi had vanished, he spoke again, "Not _what_ you told them disturbs me, but _how_ you told them."

"Then, there's the matter of Naruto..." the Hokage stopped in his tracks and brought his considerable aura to bear against the Jōnin. "I see that boy as my kin, and I hope you have a really good reason..."

"Would they have learned otherwise?" questioned Kakashi. "Every report was clear about one fact – they're extremely stubborn and set in their beliefs. I had to get my message across... arrogance, delusions, pride... those can get them killed in the field."

Kakashi shook his head. "No, I won't apologize for my actions, Sandaime-sama. Without a direct confrontation with their weaknesses not one word of what I told them would have stuck."

Sarutobi stood still and didn't blink once as he observed the young man in front of him. It was well hidden, certainly not noticeable to those without the proper training and experience, but he saw the Jōnin's tensed muscles, the guarded look in his eye.

Kakashi was a highly valued member of Konoha's forces, but to challenge his leader's assessment so openly... that was either foolish or stupidly brave, and the man knew it.

"No apology for your actions?" Sarutobi asked at last. "You thread dangerously close to the realms of treason, Kakashi."

Then, his voice lost its steely quality and his gaze softened somewhat. "At ease... you won't die in this office, and as much as it pains me, I fear that my feelings for young Naruto might have clouded my judgment."

Kakashi relaxed visibly when the Hokage sat down again and stuffed his pipe with exotic tobacco from _Kaze no Kuni_. Sarutobi Hiruzen knew all too well that he was old, and he had grown tired of the constant machinations against his village, be it from within or without, long ago.

How he wished that one of his remaining, _loyal_ students would take over, finally lessening the burden on his decrepit shoulders.

"I tire. I truly do," Sarutobi said and sighed wearily. "For decades, I have led our village to the best of my abilities. I trust you, Kakashi. In fact, you are one of the very few people I can admit that to without lying... please, don't let me see that my trust in you is misplaced."

The Sandaime walked over to the large glass pane and looked down on the village he had sacrificed everything short of his life for. "_Something_ is coming... something big. I can feel it, even in my old and weary bones."

"War?" Kakashi asked, joining his Hokage at the window.

"Perhaps," Sarutobi answered. "Then again, maybe I'm just a paranoid fool, too wrapped up in intricate plots to see clearly. But, I don't think so. Something _is_ coming, mark my words."

Kakashi plucked up his courage before addressing his leader again, "Why the reprimand then? Isn't the kind of though love I showed Team 7 necessary should another war break out?"

"That might be the case," Sarutobi acquiesced. "The real question remains the same though... will your gamble pay off? Is one team worth the effort of standing up to the council? Team 7, will they be worth the dissent in our very own chain of command?"

The Hokage threw Kakashi a sharp look. "Make no mistake, Kakashi. Should your tough love end up in failure, not even I can stop Danzo and his posse from skinning you alive for ruining the last Uchiha. Not to mention Haruno's father..."

Kakashi shook his head in frustration. "They've grown soft from the peace."

"Ha!" Sarutobi barked out. "Haven't we all? Even Danzo, old war master that he is, has grown complacent."

They spent a few minutes in silence, before the Hokage continued, "Let's cut to the chase, Kakashi. You know that I can't and won't alleviate you of the duty to train Team 7. What are you plans for them?"

The Jōnin perked up at that. He had quite a few ideas for his team and there were many possible ways in which Team 7 could develop... therefore, he had planned accordingly.

A grin tugged at Kakashi's lips as he answered, "I only said that their _current_ talents are meaningless, even more so if combined with their attitudes. The potential though... well, it's definitely there. Not really measurable, but enough to tell that they could become very powerful."

The Sandaime nodded and motioned for Kakashi to speak freely.

He smiled. It always brought him joy when he heard something good about Naruto. Sadly, that was an occasion far too rare for his tastes.

"Well..." Kakashi drew the word out and scratched his head. "As they are now, throwing them together and hoping for the best isn't going to work. I planned something, but I'll need your approval for it, Sandaime-sama."

"If your proposition has merit, then I'll see it done," Sarutobi answered.

"The three of them bring different assets to the table and I could shape them into an excellent combat squad... what I need though, is _time_."

Sarutobi looked at the Jōnin and asked neutrally, "How much?"

It wasn't exactly uncommon for a Jōnin-sensei to ask for more time to train their charges, but nearly always these requests were denied; with good reason. Time was a commodity, a valuable good that shinōbi desperately wanted, but rarely got. Less shinōbi on active duty equaled a lower quota of successful missions, which in turn meant that the village inevitably lost some money.

Not much, no... but, it was enough to matter if more than one team at a time decided to take time off. Even worse, a decline in successful missions also served as an indicator for a decline of Konoha's reputation.

In the most favorable scenario that would only cost them some clients. In the worst case though, it could spark a war with another powerful village who might think them weak as a result.

Kakashi cringed. He knew exactly what thoughts his request had sparked in the mind of his leader.

"Six months," Kakashi said at last. "After six months I'll have them trained up enough to be ready for every C and B-ranked mission you can throw at them, Sandaime-sama."

Sarutobi leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. "You must realize that you place a heavy burden on them if you go through with this. Not only on them, but on yourself too. There hasn't been a proper combat squad since I trained the Sannin."

"Doesn't Guy train a combat squad?" Kakashi asked. "I remember that he told me something about nasty close-combat combinations."

The Sandaime grimaced as he replied, "He tries to... I'm not too optimistic though. His team is strong, no doubt, but it is overly specialized. With two close combat fighters and one range support who doesn't know any techniques beyond the academy basics it would only take a balanced team with Ninjutsu support to utterly crush them. Guy knows, of course, but with young Lee's physical inability, the vaunted Hyuuga pride, and young Tenten's low reserves... well, you get the picture."

Kakashi nodded at that. "That's unfortunate. Nonetheless, I accept my responsibility."

Sarutobi uttered a harsh laugh before he replied, "In our world, accepting and fulfilling one's responsibilities isn't the same. You know that, Kakashi."

The Hokage took out the necessary paperwork from his desk, filled it in, and stamped it with his personal seal. "Despite everything that speaks against it, I will approve your request. Take it as the desperate gamble of an old man... six months, not a single day more."

Kakashi quickly took the forms and bowed to his leader. He was about to leave the room, when Sarutobi' killing intent suddenly skyrocketed and nearly brought him to his knees.

Sweat poured down his face as the Sandaime's voice boomed through the office, "You better make sure that those three become legends, Kakashi. Otherwise, there _will_ be consequences."

* * *

When Naruto met Sakura and Sasuke the next morning, he tried to look calm and collected – at least, as calm and collected as he was actually able to look. He watched his new teammates; they, too, appeared to be calm on the outside, but he quickly noticed the nervous glances both stole at the sun, checking just how long they had before their new teacher would arrive.

Beside some random noises that came from the forest nearby, and some odd chirps from a few birds, no sound really reached his ears. It was easy to discern that his teammates weren't in the mood for conversation either – not even about trivial things.

_Reasonable_, he guessed.

Their new sensei had made it unmistakeably clear what he thought of them, or more precisely, of their abilities and attitudes. Naruto felt that the Jōnin had been incredibly harsh in his assessment, yet he couldn't really argue against it. Even after a night of lying awake in his bed and thinking, certainly a rarity for him, the words Kakashi-sensei had said made a worrying amount of sense.

_Kakashi-sensei_, the blond mused. The name and title tasted unfamiliar on his tongue. It would be awkward for quite a while between Team 7 and their sensei.

Naruto had never been much of a planner, preferring to act instead. He knew that. Still, he also knew that he was able to think things through if he put his mind to it – something that just had seemed pointless back in the academy.

History, mathematics, studies of different regions which also included the vernacular and various customs... it would have made sense to learn if his aspiration had been to become a politician, an ambassador, or _something_ like that.

But, as a seven year old orphan he never had someone to explain to him just why those topics were important. He could have asked and probably would have gotten an answer too, but he had never been one to crusade for more knowledge in topics that seemed useless to him. In the end he simply stopped bothering with them, and subconsciously transferred that attitude to the rest of his lessons – even those that actually had something to do with becoming a proper shinōbi.

A costly mistake, Naruto now realized.

Even worse, it took his sensei to declare him as being the worst of the worst before he actually got it through his skull.

When had he stopped caring about his accuracy while throwing shuriken, he wondered... when had he stopped training to improve his Taijutsu? Those had been some of the most important things to him, back when he had set foot in the academy for the first time.

Somehow, he had lost sight of them along the way.

Bad weeks had turned into months, which then turned into years... and, despite his surrogate grandfather who had pulled a few strings to enroll him two years earlier than was usual, he had quickly fallen behind. He became the _dobe_.

_Kami_, he hated that word.

It stung even more, knowing that the students who had bestowed that title on him had been proven right in the end. He had failed his first and second exam, until he finally started to put in enough effort to stay with those of his age at least.

Though, not enough it seemed. The title stuck, and he had simply stopped caring altogether.

Naruto's stomach churned nervously and he stopped his unusual introspection, wondering if his teammates felt the same. Their sensei hadn't just targeted him with his speech, but them too, after all.

He knew all too well that sometimes a few well placed words hurt more than a kunai ever could.

An explosion of whirling leaves startled him out of his thoughts and he gulped. Their new teacher – _Kakashi-sensei_, he reminded himself – had arrived, and Naruto quickly realized that the attitude from the day before hadn't been the consequence of a temporarily bad mood.

Kakashi plopped himself down on the ground with the agility and grace of a seasoned shinōbi, resting his chin on his palm. The Jōnin stared down his charges with calculating indifference... to Naruto it looked like the man considered just how much each of them was worth.

"You're here," Kakashi began neutrally. "That's something, I suppose."

Sasuke grunted in annoyance – an emotion that quickly changed into rage when his head snapped backward. Slowly, the indention of a small stone became visible on his forehead protector. Sakura hadn't even gotten a chance to protest her crush's treatment, because the terrifying stare of Kakashi was enough to silence her completely.

Naruto decided to keep his tongue in check for a while and remained silent.

Then, Kakashi began to speak, "You are Team 7. I, too, am a part of the team for now... unfortunately. Contrary to you, however, I know the team's history. It might surprise you, but our history is _quite_ long."

The Jōnin looked skyward with a pondering expression of remembrance. "The first time a group of shinōbi carried the banner of Team 7 was under the leadership of the Nidaime, Senju Tobirama. If you payed attention in the academy, then you should know who was taught by him."

"The old man and the two crones that help him!" Naruto exclaimed.

Unsurprisingly, he received a stone to the head.

"Lower your voice," Kakashi commanded. "In essence you're right though... even if your description leaves a lot to be desired. Sakura, your turn!"

Naruto rubbed his neck and stole wary glances at his sensei, before turning to the startled Sakura who took a few seconds to formulate her answer, "The Nidaime was the sensei of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime; Utatane Koharu, the civilian council adviser of the Sandaime; and Mitokado Homura, the military council adviser of the Sandaime."

"Correct, and by now you can at the very least guess where I'm going with this... the next Team 7 consisted of people equally as famous – the three Sannin. Sasuke, tell me about the team that was taught by Jiraiya, the Toad Summoner."

"Jiraiya taught the Yondaime, Hyuga Hiashi, and..." Sasuke's face twisted into a grimace. "...Uchiha Fugaku."

"Which brings us to the last cycle – the team of the Yondaime," Kakashi said. "He trained a medic-nin, Rin Inuzuka; an Uchiha, Obito; and me, Hatake Kakashi."

"Obito," Sasuke murmured, before his eyes suddenly lit up in unbridled fury and rage. "You! I knew your name was familiar, _Eye-thief_!"

Quicker than lightning, Sasuke had risen from the grass and rushed toward the Jōnin. Kakashi didn't move from his position though, and simply backhanded the Uchiha as soon as he came close.

Sasuke rubbed his swollen cheek and glared at the Jōnin, who answered with an equally hard stare. "It might interest you, Sasuke, that I received the eye from Obito as a gift in his dying moments."

"Lies!" Sasuke screamed. For a moment Naruto wondered if the Uchiha had lost his last grip on sanity. "No Uchiha with pride would ever give away his eyes!"

Kakashi chuckled mirthlessly. "An Uchiha's pride, eh? I can safely say that Obito was the best of them all."

"Sensei?" Sakura interjected hesitantly. "What exactly are you talking about?"

"Yeah, what's an _Eye-thief_?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi rose from the grass and slowly walked over to a large, black obelisk. It seemed out of place on the training ground, yet – oddly enough – it also fit in perfectly. The three Genin followed him: one obediently but nervous, one with bursting exuberance momentarily forgetting the terror his sensei could inspire, and one with a murderous look who wisely chose to keep his mouth shut for the moment.

"To make it perfectly clear: I don't tell you this because I like you. _But_... it might become useful in future missions if you know about it," Kakashi said and turned around.

He lifted his forehead protector, revealing a blood red eye – a fully developed Sharingan. "I won't tell you the circumstances... suffice to say, I have a matured Sharingan with every burden and advantage that entails."

They walked for a fair while, half an hour at least if Naruto guessed correctly, passing through the village's gates and following a beaten trail through the woods. When they reached a wide area with a large fence that none of them knew, Kakashi stopped and opened a small scroll, infusing it with his chakra.

A cloud of smoke later, three identical backpacks flew toward them which they easily snatched out of the air.

"Coming back to the history of Team 7... you're the next cycle, as amusing as that sounds," Kakashi explained. "And, _I_ have the unfortunate duty to mold you into capable shinōbi."

"Huh? So, we're some kind of super legendary team? Swe-" Naruto replied, but was quickly silenced by Sakura who had slapped her hand over his mouth.

"In a sense you are. Well... not right now, obviously," Kakashi answered dryly. "But that is as much a curse as it is a blessing. You will be send on missions, far out of the scope of what other shinōbi undertake, and not only are you expected to succeed, you're also expected to survive. _That_, my minions, isn't guaranteed in our line of work."

"Kakashi-sensei, where are we?" Sakura asked, suddenly sounding terrified.

Naruto took a quick look around, searching for whatever had frightened his teammate, until his own eyes started to widen, glued to a large wooden sign that denominated the place as _Ground 44: The Forest of Death_.

"That doesn't matter," Kakashi chuckled. "What's important is _why_ you are here, no?"

Naruto watched as his sensei made a single hand seal, a weird cross-shaped one that none of them had seen before – it certainly wasn't taught at the academy, that much even he knew – and two identical copies of Kakashi appeared next to him.

_Just Bunshins? Weird..._

Curiously, Naruto reached out and touched one of the copies. Instead of wavering like the normal _Bunshin_ was supposed to, this one was... well, he didn't have a nice intelligent word for it, so _solid_ had to do.

"Sweet! Ne, Kakashi-sensei, can you teach me this? It's awesome!"

"Maybe... in a few decades, _perhaps_. Now, Sakura, Sasuke, each of you will follow one of my _Kage Bunshin_."

While his teammates vanished in swirls of leaves, accompanied by one Kakashi each, Naruto inspected the backpack he had received a bit closer. A pouch of shuriken, two kunai, and two small scrolls; all in all, nothing too out of the ordinary for a shinōbi. He took the scrolls out of the bag, but before he could open them a hand swatted the back of his head.

"Not now, Naruto. There are two techniques in these scrolls and you'll learn them in the next two months," Kakashi said.

"What? Two months for-"

He didn't manage to finish his sentence, as Kakashi had grabbed him by his jumpsuit and held him into the air until they could look each other in the eyes – well, from one eye in two eyes, really.

"Sensei?" Naruto gulped.

"Enjoy!" The Hatake uttered a terrifying laugh and in one strong motion, heavily augmented by chakra, he threw Naruto over the fence and far into the forest.

A few miles away, the same happened to two other petrified Genin. Kakashi had six months to mold them into capable shinōbi, and he'd make sure that they would fulfill the promise he had made to the Sandaime.

* * *

**AN: **That's it for the first chapter. Next one will come in roughly a week. Most of you should have noticed by now that contrary to the oneshot I published a few days ago this story will get quite long.

Comments are, as always, appreciated and if you have questions, simply pm me. I'll try my best to answer.


	2. II - Blond, Pink, Black

Here's the 2nd chapter. A bit earlier than thought, but I'll probably be lying in a ditch, completely drunk, come new years eve; so, the next update will have to wait a bit.

* * *

**Team 7's Ascension**

_Written by Eilyfe_

**Chapter II – Lightning Blond, Watery Pink, Illusive Black**

* * *

An hour... two, perhaps even three... Sakura didn't know and didn't care either way. Everywhere she looked, century old dark trees were twisting and winding, whirling and swirling, melting with the mossy ground that was several shades darker than her eyes. Everywhere she went, the same... always the same.

The sun wasn't rising anymore, and if it did, she wasn't able to see it – thick foliage blocking her sense of sight in every direction.

She didn't despair though, or maybe she _was_ panicking and just didn't want to acknowledge it. Still, for a person terrified by her circumstances she had a remarkably clear mind and knew exactly what she could do – better yet, what she should do.

Analyzing had always been one of her stronger points; according to Kakashi-sensei the strongest one, really.

Given time she would find a way out of this predicament, hopefully.

She cursed the infernal Jōnin, because she realized with a startling clarity that the man had succeeded in his ploy – if it even was something as elaborate as that... she started to doubt herself, her capabilities as a kunoichi.

Furiously she tore through the underbrush, disregarding every advice the academy had drilled into them when it came to traversing unfamiliar territory. Then she stopped, gripping her hair in frustration... there it was again, _the doubt_.

For years she had gladly accepted the role as the top kunoichi in her class – so what, if others were better at Taijutsu than her? She had her pride, and she had other areas she excelled in... she didn't need physical power to prove herself.

Yet, surrounded by sinister forest those words sounded empty.

Deeply annoyed, Sakura huffed once and then ripped the backpack from her shoulders. Her sensei wanted to teach her something – what it was, she couldn't quite discern just yet. One thing was sure though: leaving the forest was out of question.

That only left the bag as a clue, and she would decipher it as quickly as possible.

The sooner she got home, the better.

She loosened the leather latch and peered inside the bag, where she found two scrolls and a small note that was slightly ripped at the edges. After skimming the scrolls with the scholastic skill she had always been praised for, Sakura let out a sigh.

The instructions were fairly easy to comprehend: two new techniques for her to learn – one for building up her reserves and stamina, and one illusion classified as a D-ranked Genjutsu.

Her mouth twisted and she grimaced. Tree walking and the new technique, _Narakumi no Jutsu_, weren't bad... she could live with them, really. The hastily scrawled note however held information she absolutely loathed, and _feared_ to some degree.

_Eight weeks_, she thought and resisted the urge to spit on the ground in anger.

Her sensei really expected her to live in this forest for two months. Providing for herself with everything that was necessary to survive... alone and without help; it would be quite a challenge.

Her attention had never wavered when she sat in the academy and listened to the instructor's droning voices that detailed how to survive in the wilderness. Even now, Sakura was able to completely recall every bit of advice Iruka-sensei had given them...

… now that she had to use that knowledge for her sensei's freakish test though, she was actually terrified.

Terrified of what could happen to her, of being helpless, of being_ alone._

_Again, the doubt_.

Long ago she had sworn to herself that she would never again feel like this... and now she was forced to, by her own teacher no less.

Hatake Kakashi was someone who liked to play mind games whenever possible, she discerned. That the man had actually succeeded, would succeed even further still – unknowingly or not – rankled her far more than she could put into words.

Sakura shook her head and her pink tresses flew through the air. She wouldn't allow herself to be played like that... _never like that_.

She was the top kunoichi of her graduation class. No shinobi, even if it was a Jonin, would make her forget that! Resolutely, Sakura took a kunai out of her weapon pouch and reread the scroll about tree walking.

In a tree a few feet away, concealed by the thick, violent vegetation, one of Kakashi's clones watched his new charge and frowned. The girl hadn't said anything, but her emotions were clearly in turmoil.

Well, in the few days he would see if she was able to learn the lesson he wanted to teach.

* * *

He was angry. Very much so, and the last time he had felt even remotely as angry had been when one of the village's sycophants petitioned for him to visit a therapist. It wasn't even the method of training that made him furious – surviving in a forest hardly seemed like a challenge – but the indignity of just being dropped into it like a hot potato...

He was an Uchiha, and proud of it too!

Then he calmed down a bit. It didn't matter anyway, he told himself – a thief like his sensei wouldn't be able to break him. Not after his brother had tried the same and failed.

No, he wouldn't be broken, least of all by something like this.

Sasuke crumbled the note in his hand and snarled at the thought of his brother. His ambition, the purpose and sole goal of his existence... it all hinged on getting as much training as possible. If this infernal place would help him to kill Itachi then he would gladly endure it.

His charcoal black eyes were narrowed as he took a look at his surroundings and took stock of the things he had to work with. He had landed in a large clearing covered with useless shrubbery and a few odd trees; a stream snaked its way through the green fields, then vanished behind the dark mass of green that signaled the ending of the clearing and the beginning of the forest.

If his senses were correct, then the bastard had thrown him somewhere into the eastern part of the grounds. That information could become vital later one, he realized.

Sasuke clenched his fist. He would become strong, stronger, and stronger still... until finally, when the dice were cast, he had acquired the strength to completely obliterate his murderous brother. His life-long vision, the severed head of Itachi reverently presented on the family altar, would be fulfilled.

It would be a sign to, hopefully, the future generations of his clan, showing what happened to those who betrayed the Uchiha's creed.

Despite the dark nature of his thoughts, the angry flames that burned in his chest and licked at his heart, Sasuke smiled wistfully – something he never allowed himself to do in the company of others. Indeed, the altar fitted his plans perfectly. It was quite symbolic, too.

He still remembered the lessons he had taken with the other Uchiha children, learning about the traditions of their noble family – a babe, barely out of it's mothers womb, baptized with the lifeblood of the greatest and most noble warriors of their clan.

Strength and courage... the holy tenets of the Uchiha – a rite of birth, the dawn of a new era, the sign of changing life.

Uchiha Nori, the scholar who had taught those lessons... he too would be avenged, eventually.

_Quite fitting indeed_.

He took one of the scrolls out of his backpack, the one that contained the instructions for _Hisan Ikazuchi_,a D-ranked lightning technique, and started to read. The more ways he had to kill his brother, the better it would be.

People always thought that his ambition revolved only around Itachi, and to a certain degree that was the truth. But, if he was honest with himself, to see his clan uplifted into the upper echelons of Konoha's power once again... _that_ was a truly worthy goal.

Just utterly meaningless until his family was avenged and the traitor had been brought to heel.

For the Uchiha to prosper, Itachi _had_ to die.

Kakashi observed the lone survivor of the once great clan and shook his head when the boy immediately started to work on the technique. He had a lot that could be taught to Sasuke, but he would only do so if the boy was willing to listen to him – and, not just in matters regarding the shinōbi life.

* * *

Naruto rose warily from the ground and tried to take in everything at once. Ancient old trees threw shadows that consumed his whole being, rustling shrubbery surrounded him, and unidentifiable noises assaulted his ears.

He spun around and tried to find the cause for the noise, but each time he did, another sound echoed throughout the clearing – the game began anew.

The smell of old blood filtered through his nostrils. He saw a broken kunai embedded into gnarly wood, dulled shuriken littered the floor. He saw, but couldn't comprehend.

Bile rose in his throat; the stench was overwhelming.

He wouldn't succumb to it, he wouldn't... his eyes zeroed in on a single rotting limb, nestled between large roots as if held in a deathly embrace.

Naruto vomited.

A sound, an odd whistling, penetrated his hazy mind. He didn't know what it was, but he trusted his instincts, had always done so. Naruto rolled forward and nearly threw up again, the scent of vomit clung to his jumpsuit and sickened him as he rolled through the food he had eaten hours ago.

He turned around to see what had caused the whistling noise and saw a large paw ripping out the grass, loosening the very earth of the position he just abandoned. It was attached to a magnificent beast – a bear most likely – which overtook its kind's usual size by the double.

The beast retracted its paw, then let it descend again.

Naruto wasn't fast enough, but luckily it only grazed him.

He saw the bear thundering toward him, each time it connected with the ground sounded like Kami himself walked among mortals. Panic gripped him – utter, undisguised fear surged through him. Any second now, the beast would be upon him.

His hands moved, he functioned on pure instinct, but he knew he wouldn't be fast enough.

No, he definitely wouldn't be fast enough.

_Tora,_

The bear was only inches away from him.

_Ushi,_

Its left paw rose. Naruto could smell the horrible stench of his own fear. He had no doubt the beast could smell it too.

_Inu,_

The fear amplified itself, but he held its gaze. If he died, he would die with both eyes open.

_Mi,_

Claws ripped through fabric, not bothered by the weak resistance.

"_Ninp__ō__: Kawarimi no Jutsu!_" Naruto uttered in a gargled scream and vanished – spirited away through space and time.

A strangled gasp escaped him and he held his side in pain. He was right, he hadn't been fast enough.

The haze in his mind didn't subside though and he looked at his hand, couldn't believe that it was his own blood dripping from his fingers. It hurt, but not as much as the thought of being inches away from certain death.

A roar echoed through the forest and shivers wracked Naruto's body.

He angled himself to the side, painfully aware of his wound as he moved, and looked over the edge of the thick branch he had landed on.

There, a few feet below him, the beast stood on its hind legs and let loose another earth shattering roar. The log Naruto had substituted himself with was already smashed into pieces.

He wanted to run, wanted to escape the frantic harbinger of death below him... but he couldn't. His sense of self-preservation had become nearly overwhelming, yet he just ground his teeth together and didn't heed it.

"_The Will of Fire, Hi no Ishi... do you know what it means, Naruto-kun?"_

"_Eh, you ask silly questions, Jiji! It's to protect everyone!"_

"_True," the wizened man answered. "But it also reflects our indomitable will. The will to stand up against overwhelming odds, despite the fear that grips us. A shinōbi with a will of steel, fire in his heart, and the determination to do right by his village shall never be defeated."_

"_Ne, Jiji?"_

"_Yes, Naruto-kun?"_

"_What does indomitable mean?"_

_The Hokage chuckled and Naruto laughed with childish glee as a triangle shaped hat was put on his head. "Someday you will learn what it means. For now though, why don't we get some Ramen?"_

Naruto's cobalt blue eyes narrowed and he zoned in on the beast that still ravaged the forest beneath him.

_Indomitable will, eh?_

The pain in his side had receded to a dull throbbing, he noticed and glances curiously at his wound. Kyuubi's healing powers sure were working fast. Still, as good as fast healing was, it wouldn't do him any good if he died within one swipe of those massive paws...

Then again, and despite the knowledge that he would most probably die if he engaged the bear in close combat, he didn't have much of a choice.

His efficiency with shuriken wasn't anything to brag about, and he doubted that they would do much against a being of that size anyway. Even his beloved _Kibakufudas_, which always made him shout with delight, weren't a viable option.

There could be all manners of other beasts lurking in the shadows. He had enough problems with just one, there was no need to invoke the wrath of dozens of others.

The backpack was, curiously enough, undamaged and he guided his hand into it, searching for some tools he could use... shuriken, kunai, everything necessary to take down a hostile shinōbi, but nothing that would really help him right now – at least, if only thrown.

Naruto frowned. There was only one way to resolve the problem: either he, or the beast had to die.

_In close combat..._

He shuddered, but quickly steeled himself as the revelation that he could very well die if he engaged the bear nearly sent him back into panic.

No, he had to face it. He had to emerge as the victor... that, however, didn't mean that he had to take the bear head on.

The villagers and his peers had often called him a moron – maybe they had been right in doing so – but, to his limited understanding of the world, a moron only remained as such if he didn't learn from past mistakes.

_Strike and kill in one swift move..._

Perhaps it was a fatal mistake not to have a plan beyond a simple surprise attack from behind, but it was all he could think of, all he could do.

Naruto climbed down, being as silent as possible, and moved onto another branch – seven, maybe eight feet above the beast. He took a deep breath and his hand curled tightly around the silent smoke bomb hidden in the fabric of his jumpsuit.

The bear didn't know what happened, nor did it care... with strength from years of hunting, it thundered toward the place where the bomb had landed and smoke rose from the ground.

There it was... the chance he had been waiting for.

Naruto leaped from the branch and sailed through the air; a kunai was firmly gripped in his hand. The fraction of a second it took to bridge the distance between them felt like eons. Yet, no sooner had the thought crossed his mind did he hear the oddly satisfying sound of metal sinking into flesh.

His kunai penetrated the thick neck of the beast deeply, and he yanked it around for good measure. It was a moment of judgment – either he would win with his desperate gambit, or the beast would simply buck him off.

Then... finally... incomprehensible grunts of pain escaped the bear as it moved around, unable to grasp the futility of its actions.

Suddenly, it stopped moving. Grunts became exhalations of laboring breath, and a puddle of blood extended from under its massive frame, flowing freely through the grass and extending far beyond its form.

Green became red.

Exhausted as he was, Naruto managed to roll to the side and away from the dying bear – he rolled until his eyes pierced the foliage marred sky.

He had won.

He was victorious.

Naruto turned his head toward the beast – the victory became hollow.

He saw the dulled black eyes of his opponent, the force of life slowly leaking out of them... and he wondered, would this always be the price of his success – _death_?

Kakashi, who had watched the bout of mortal combat anxiously, calmed himself. This was exactly the reason why he had thrown his charges into the forest in the first place. Of course, it was worrying to see one of his Genin came that close to the shinigami's realm, but he stayed his hand.

His sensei's son would either learn, or perish in the process.

* * *

Her legs were tired, but she ran as fast as they could carry her. Breathlessly, she cursed as another vicious plant slashed at her knees...

After two weeks of searching the part of the forest her sensei had thrown her into, Sakura still hadn't found a place where she felt even remotely comfortable or safe.

It was ridiculous.

There had been a geography class when she was still an academy student – definitely happier times – and she, eager to prove herself, had taken on an extra assignment to categorize the various training fields of the village. It had taken a few moments, but buried deeply under her visions of Sasuke, she had finally found the relevant information she needed – the mind map of Ground 44.

She cursed some more.

Kakashi, that utter bastard – and may the shinigami reap his soul – had thrown her into the worst part of the forest.

This had to stop... somehow.

For nearly fourteen days she had been constantly on the run, and each time she felt her breaking point approach a new threat suddenly showed up and actually broke it, forcing her to overcome her limit.

This had to be illegal.

Sakura slumped back against the tree, carefully holding her balance between the branches. She forced herself to keep her eyes open at all times – it had only taken one fall a few days prior to show her that sleeping on a tree wasn't as easy as she had been led to believe.

Her control, at least, had given her an edge when it came to avoiding some of the ferocious predators on the ground.

Sakura's thoughts went back to her two teammates and she sighed. She wondered how they were doing... if only she had their reserves, staying alive would become that much easier.

A dull roar that echoed through the forest sent shivers down her spine. She knew the roar well... too well in fact. Sakura looked down at the blood soaked bandages around her left leg. The monsters inhabiting this training ground were terrifyingly bloodthirsty.

She had learned that firsthand on her second day.

She took another deep breath and grabbed a few small branches to support herself. When had she eaten the last time... or, for the matter, slept? No answers were forthcoming and she knew that she had to make her way out of this particular part of the forest soon – at all cost.

Providing for herself, she mused. Now, didn't that just sound much easier in theory?

The real life however, as she now came to learn, was quite a bit more difficult. She gathered her strength, jumping from branch to branch, and wondered if this was how Sasuke and Naruto must have felt, being orphans and having no one to assure that their basic needs were met.

Kakashi chuckled softly as he cut off his chakra from the technique he had used to emulate a lion's roar. Sakura's stamina still wasn't up to snuff and it wouldn't do for her to become lazy...

* * *

_Tora, Inu, Ushi, Mi – Tora, Inu, Ushi, Mi – Tora, Inu, Ushi, Mi_

His hands flew through those seals over and over again, and without gathering any chakra.

The _Kawarimi_ was one of the basic techniques taught by the academy; it was used by every shinōbi who had the experience of seeing his own blood being spilled. It was arguably one of the most underrated techniques.

Even though every graduated Genin could use it, most scoffed at the mere thought of needing it to evade an opponent, and most died as a result of their ignorance.

Through its mastery the _Kawarimi_ granted life, whereupon the failure of its use sealed death.

Naruto tore a chunk out of the freshly cooked meat that he had grilled over a small pit. Some things, mostly those he had disregarded as inconsequential during his academy days, made more sense now that he had to use them in order to survive.

He stared absent minded into the fire – all of his thoughts circled around his fight with the bear.

For the first time in years, Naruto entertained the idea that maybe – _just maybe_ – he had underestimated the life of a shinōbi. He wanted to forget the battle. He wanted to bury himself in his old delusions of greatness.

He found, he couldn't.

It was branded into his mind: the fear, the panic, the hesitation, the success – all of it.

The simple fact remained: he owed his life not to the deception of a smoke bomb, nor to the unrelenting metal of a kunai... even the sudden determination that had gripped him wasn't relevant.

He owed his life to a technique he had grossly misjudged in its value.

_Kawarimi_ – what an odd little Jutsu.

That was why, after two weeks, he still sat under his self-made roof of bearskin and wire, and sped through the seals of the substitution technique over and over again. Never again would he let himself be caught out like that, unable to escape as quickly as possible.

The next time something happened, he would be ready.

It took twelve years of his life to make him understand, but now he knew – the basics were important for a reason.

Naruto ran through the seal sequence again, before stopping and taking out a kunai from his backpack.

It was curious, he thought. If somebody would have told him that he would favor an exercise like tree walking over a new Jutsu when he still had been in the academy, he would have laughed at them.

After focusing chakra to his feet, Naruto ran up the tree, passing branches by the dozens... however, as soon as he felt his control slip he left a deep gauge and pushed himself away from the tree, letting himself fall backward.

_Tori, Inu, Ushi, Mi..._

"_Ninpō: Kawarimi no Jutsu_," he whispered.

An instant later, Naruto found himself crouching next to his camp and watched how the piece of wood he had substituted himself with lost its fight against gravity. With practiced ease, he snatched it out of the air and put it into the small pit.

Naruto looked up to the mark he had left on the tree. Then, he seated himself next to the fire.

_This would take some time..._

He resumed his staring contest with the violent dancing flames.

_Time_, he mused. He had been lonely all his life, but then at least he had been able to talk to someone without feeling like a loon – even if it wasn't reciprocated. Now, however, he hadn't talked for over two weeks and wondered whether it drove him insane or just calmed him down.

It was, in all probability, the former, he supposed.

In a bush a nice distance away from Naruto's camp, Kakashi crouched and observed the boy, lazily patting a tiger's head.

* * *

_Solitude_, Sasuke decided was a curious thing...

It had been one of his deepest wishes to be left alone, to simply vanish from the public eye. He hadn't succeeded, of course, but he still felt that his one-line responses and general rudeness gave him a nice illusion of it at least.

Was solitude really that good though?

Sure, he had been annoyed by nearly everyone who talked with him – or tried to – but hearing voices that didn't belong to his dead family had given him an odd sense of normalcy. It was what he missed now... what he started to appreciate just now, on the dawn of his third week away from the village.

Sasuke hadn't talked for weeks. That, however, wasn't a problem. He was used to it.

No, the problem was that just hearing his own laboring breath while he tireless worked to get the technique right affected him in ways he hadn't thought possible.

Worse, he simply couldn't understand why he felt this way.

Braving the forest was by no means an easy task for the Uchiha prodigy – definitely not as easy as he had anticipated at first. Not that he felt like a real prodigy with the shadow of his brother constantly looming over him...

Still, it wouldn't be the forest that broke him, he knew. It was the emotion he had expected the least...

… _loneliness._

Then again, he didn't believe that just yet. He was an Uchiha and had his pride.

Sasuke stared at the scroll that contained the information toward mastering the lightning technique; he sighed after another failed attempt. Perhaps he should learn the control exercise first? With a grunt he opened the other scroll and skimmed it, immediately after glancing at the few trees that were growing proudly in the clearing.

He would bear the silence as long as possible... and, if he really was in danger of going insane, he would just have to look for his loud mouthed teammates.

Kami, even a moron like Naruto would be a welcome break to this damned monotony.

Kakashi was disappointed after witnessing Sasuke's last failed attempt at the lightning Jutsu. His eyes started to gleam however, when he saw the boy skimming through the other scroll.

_Finally_...

* * *

_Faster. Faster. Faster!_

Naruto ran as fast as possible, vaulted over a fallen tree, and came to a skidding halt. His lunges burned, but he ignored the painful sensation and looked over his shoulder. He paled, and continued his sprint... farther and farther away from his camp.

This wasn't what he had in mind for his last two weeks in this forest; not at all.

How the hell did it even happen?

"_Suitōn: Semei Mizushuuha!_"

Naruto raced through the necessary hand seals and spat out a small, condensed stream of water. He hoped that it would deter the beast pursuing him – at least for a moment.

The large tiger, however, dodged to the right and evaded the stream completely. There was a short lull in the battle, when their eyes met – cobalt blue and charcoal black. Then, the gigantic tiger roared once and began the hunt anew, racing after the Genin, always just a few steps behind.

Naruto had unarguably the largest reserves among his peers and even his superiors. Yet, after three days of constant substitutions and copious usage of his new water technique, he felt that even his vaunted reserves slowly dried out.

His brow furrowed as he ran through the forest, the tiger hot on his heels. A few days ago, the forest had seemingly awoken from a deep slumber. Before then, it had been dangerous, no doubt. Now, however, it was downright murderous.

Without any warning, every damn animal had suddenly started to hunt him with reckless abandon, bringing even him to the point of total exhaustion.

This thrice-cursed place quickly went up to number one on his shit list.

How many of those beasts had he killed already?

Naruto found that he didn't know, and it didn't seem to matter anyway... for each killed one, at least two took its place.

He propelled himself away from a tree, avoiding the silvery drop of a giant spider, and jumped back on the ground. This place was enough to drive any shinōbi insane.

His instincts screamed at him. He dove to his right, tumbling a bit, and barely avoided a large paw.

"... really?" Naruto asked incredulously, after setting eyes upon the humongous bear that had joined the tiger.

"_Ninpō: Kawarimi no Jutsu_," he uttered quickly between labored breath.

It wasn't enough, and after nearly 72 hours of running around like a madman and flinging techniques through the air like candy, his reserves had finally run out.

He paid for it, _dearly_.

Blood soaked through the ripped fabric of his jumpsuit, coloring it red.

Naruto looked around with one hand pressed to his abdomen and saw that many more beasts had joined the tiger and the bear in their hunt. Now, they were just waiting for the right moment to pounce...

He snarled and gripped a kunai firmly with his free hand. His eyes were narrowed into thin slits.

_Three, perhaps even four... _

_Yes_, he could take four with him to the Shinigami if they decided to attack.

Naruto chuckled. It sounded desperate, maybe even a bit insane. He wouldn't make it easy for them.

_Never let it be said that Uzumaki Naruto was easy prey..._

He noticed the tensing muscles of the beasts and readied himself. One way or another – it would come to an end soon.

A few white spots danced in his vision. Then, a blur appeared next to him. Naruto felt himself being grabbed at his jumpsuit and felt cold air on his face. The beasts rapidly became just small dots.

Suddenly the movement stopped. He glanced down, and saw that he was half-sitting, half-leaning on a thick branch. Naruto turned around, looking at the savior he had expected the least to help him out of his plight.

Warmth spread through his chest. "It feels like years," he muttered barely audible.

The pink-haired girl offered him a tense smile, but continued to look around anxiously. Her clothes – once products of the highest quality – were torn in many places, and her face was matted with dirt and dried blood.

It made her green eyes stand out even more than they did before.

"Do you know what the hell's happening, Naruto?" Sakura asked in a low whisper.

He shrugged, ignoring the pain that lanced through his body. "No clue," he bit out. "I was training when they attacked... I've been running ever since."

"Same as me then," she groaned. "We have to find Sasuke."

"The Bastard?" Naruto asked, looking skeptical. Then he noticed how childish _that_ actually sounded regarding their current circumstances, and quickly amended, "Fine with me. You know where he is?"

Too tired to even bother with correcting Naruto on his choice of a nickname, Sakura answered, "No, I don't... anything's better than this though. I'm scared, Naruto. I... I don't think we can make it out of here without the three of us together. This is insane!"

"Agreed," Naruto said.

Then, he heard the sound of pincers clicking against each other and frowned. "They've found us... we have to move, Sakura."

"Where to?" Sakura asked.

"Away," Naruto answered. "Doesn't matter where, just away from here."

He righted himself and stood up, noticing how the pain had lessened significantly. Even his reserves, which had been completely empty – bar the amount his body actually needed to survive – were now somewhat filled again after the 20 minutes respite Sakura had bought him.

Not to his usual ridiculous degree, but one or two _Kawarimis_ felt doable again.

* * *

Three days later, the tired duo stumbled upon a devastated clearing. It was littered with fallen trees, some of them burned until they became black, crushed rocks and debris, as well as dozens of dead animals.

They cautiously approached the middle of the place and surveyed the damage done to it.

"Well... Bastard's been here. No doubt 'bout that."

"The forest is a favorite for the Chūnin exams. This doesn't mean Sasuke was here," Sakura replied and gestured toward the burned trees.

"Chunin exams? Eh, never mind," Naruto said and crouched next to the carcass of a dead tiger.

A few footprints were visible in the dirt. "Look, the body isn't rotting... and these footprints were made with sandals – they aren't too old either. Bastard's been her, definitely."

"Footprints?" Sakura asked. "Since when can you track?"

It was hard to suppress years of habit, Sakura found. Curbing her automatic response of insulting the blond shinōbi wasn't easy, but she tried to make the effort to be a bit nicer to him. Over the last three days Naruto had saved her life quite a few times, just as she had saved his. It made all the difference, to actually see him defending against lethal attacks – fighting back to back.

Naruto had earned a reprieve of her sharp tongue.

In the academy, the concept of brothers and sisters in arms had come up frequently... but, besides her romanticized image of Sasuke saving her, Sakura hadn't attributed to much importance to it. Now though, she understood the idea behind it much better.

She finally understood that surrounded by constant danger and the threat of death they were all the same in the end – brothers and sisters in arms, shinōbi of Konoha, leaves of the mighty tree.

"Tracker? Don't know 'bout that. I had to learn it though... would've starved otherwise," Naruto answered.

"Starved?"

"_Believe it_," Naruto muttered weakly and chuckled when he saw her frown. "I didn't find a stream nearby... had to hunt these bear things for food," he elaborated.

"Ah, that explains... wait, no water? How did you survive without drinking?"

Naruto scratched his head. "Sensei gave you a Jutsu too, didn't he? And the control exercise, of course..."

"Yes, but that doesn't explain it. I got an illusion technique."

"Genjutsu, huh? I'm sure that came in handy... sensei gave me a nifty water Jutsu. Not really destructive, but it sure helped with drinking."

Sakura became silent and eyed Naruto with a contemplative look. If Naruto really hasn't had water around him... but that didn't make sense. She had read once that it took insane amounts of chakra to use water techniques without a source of it nearby.

An amount that no Genin should possess – hell, the Nidaime Hokage was the only one known for such a feat, and the man had reserves equaling those of a Biju, according to the legends.

_Had Naruto done the same as the Nidame_?

If he did indeed, then it would call everything into question she knew about the blond.

"Well... that's good I guess," she said, still not sure if she wanted to believe Naruto capable of such mind numbing feats.

A kunai whizzed through the air, passing her inches away from her face.

Sakura turned around and came face to belly with the largest bear she had ever seen; the kunai firmly lodged between its eyes. The blond's accuracy had improved as well, she noticed.

Naruto was about to pull his weapon out of the beast, when he suddenly threw himself to the left, dodging an attack from another monster.

Sakura's eyes met his for a short moment and then, without further thought, they sprinted away from the clearing... following the obvious trail Sasuke had left.

"_Kuso_!" Naruto cursed. "We have to find the Bastard like real quick... that was my last kunai. I've got nothing left now."

"Right. He can't be too far away."

They jumped through the trees for half an hour before they finally found him...

Sakura gaped, not quite comprehending what she saw.

Naruto laughed loudly, completely ignoring the seriousness of the situation.

"This... damn, why didn't I bring my camera?"

"How... why?" Sakura asked weakly.

Naruto shrugged, and continued snickering. "No clue, but it sure as hell looks funny."

It did indeed, at least to them.

Sasuke sat on a wooden float – a haphazardly looking construct, really – in the middle of a large river. Sharp rocks protruded from the swirling water and anchored the float with a few wires.

_Kami_, Sasuke looked pissed.

"Hey, Bastard!" Naruto shouted gleefully. "What the hell are you doing on the river?"

Sasuke looked up from his brooding and was surprised to see his teammates standing a few feet away from the riverbank.

"Moron? Sakura?" he asked, a bit of hope creeping into his voice – a strange sensation for an Uchiha on any given day. "You made it?"

"Obviously. Give us a second and we're with you."

"Wait!" Sasuke shouted.

"What is it?"

"You see the dead tiger to your left?" Sasuke asked and pointed into the vague direction. "Bring it here if you can... I'm _starving_."

It took a lot for the Uchiha to admit to that...

Soon enough, all three Genin of Team 7 were huddled together on the float. It was cramped, but although they had mostly hated each other just weeks ago, none of them complained about it. None of them dared to break the fragile bond of camaraderie that had suddenly sprung up between them.

Given enough time... perhaps, it would even grow as hard as steel.

"Ne, Sasuke... _why_ are we sitting on a float?" Sakura asked.

"They can't swim," Sasuke replied and pointed to the large amount of beasts that were now prowling alongside the riverbank. "Only thing to worry about here are some of the large snakes that can."

"Large snakes?" Naruto arched his eyebrows. "What'cha doing against them?"

Sasuke smirked and lifted his hand – arcs of lightning were racing across one of his fingers.

Sakura frowned. "How did you keep yourself from being electrocuted?"

"Just had to keep the float dry... coated it in a layer of chakra every time I had to use the lightning."

"Makes sense," Naruto muttered.

The idea and execution of such a plan showed Naruto, once again, why the Uchiha was hailed as some kind of prodigy. Curiously enough, thinking about it didn't sting as much as it used to...

Concealed by a strong Genjutsu, Kakashi watched over his charges. For the first time since he met them, he smiled.

_Now they've got it... _

He patted a pocket on his Jōnin vest where three empty vials were safely secured. Granted, spraying their clothes with the strongest animal pheromones known to man – while they had slept of course – might have been a bit much.

Then again, he had been desperate. After 42 days they still hadn't found each other, so he had to act _somehow_.

In the end, his gamble payed off.

Kakashi still had much to teach them – to each of them, as well as to the whole team – and now that at least a tentative bond existed between his three Genin... well, he was sure that it would make his plans a lot easier.

* * *

**AN:** Well, that's chapter 2. I hope you enjoyed it.

**Used Jutsu:**

_Ninpō: Kawarimi no Jutsu - _E Rank: Substitution/Replacement_  
_


	3. III - Tanyu

Here is chapter 3 for you. I hope you all enjoyed New years Eve... I know I did.

* * *

**Team 7's Ascension**

_Written by Eilyfe_

**Chapter III - Tanyu**

* * *

Sasuke knew that _Tanyu_, the capital of Hi no Kuni, boasted a decidedly larger population than Konoha – at least in theory. His upbringing as an Uchiha, especially as the son of Fugaku, and the lessons at the academy had taught him as much.

However, knowing about something and actually seeing something were two entirely different things, as he now learned.

Awkwardly maneuvering through the endless stream of strangers right next to his team brought that point home rather forcefully.

The capital was incredible; simple as that. For someone like him who had never left the village before, even more so. Humongous walls towered over the countless buildings of the city, stretching onward and onward until they left his enhanced and trained vision. The city gate had been just as impressive, being large enough to allow for hundreds of people to pass through – by the minute.

It had left him speechless then – as they had passed through it – and it continued to awe him even now.

Konoha was a large village on its own. Compared to the capital however it could merely be considered as a tiny district in the vast expense that was _Tanyu_. Sasuke felt something different. Hand in hand with his awe, fear also reared its ugly head...

The illusion that his village was the central point of Hi no Kuni, the place where life altering decisions concerning the fate of the whole Elemental Nations were made... was shattered.

Into tiny little pieces.

His eyes swept over the crowded streets with its hundreds of merchants and craftsmen plying their trade. Already, he had prevented two different attempts to steal his weapons pouch. The would-be thieves probably mistook it for a purse filled with coin.

Team 7 walked through the busy merchant district. They were well aware that many eyes were following them, mostly from _Tanyu'_s town guards who had been informed of their arrival at the gate as soon as they passed it.

Shinōbi weren't necessarily an oddity in the capital, but they definitely weren't trusted. It would be foolish, after all, to trust one. People who dealt in blood and death could be the most charming and pleasant persons – only a moron though would believe that those who taught their children how to slit throats from the shadows weren't dangerous.

Not that the guards would be any wiser should shinōbi above the rank of Chūnin try to conceal their purpose.

Letting themselves be observed wove an illusion that gave their watchers a sense of peace though. It was fragile – most knew it wasn't real – but sometimes that was everything needed to uphold the balance of power.

Sasuke had never before come upon a situation where the name Uchiha wasn't regarded with respect and reverence, but with suspicion instead. It irked him. He would never admit it out loud, but it stung his pride to simply keep on walking, to pretend not to notice the shifty and alert eyes following his every move.

He eyed his teammates and wasn't surprised by their reactions.

Sakura had shrunken into herself, trying to attract less attention that way; it didn't work. He closed his eyes and suppressed a sniff of disdain. In Ground 44 the pink-haired girl had shown him that she was useful, even if her skills weren't on par with his own.

Indeed, he had been rather surprised by her.

It had been inevitable that they ran out of food on the float and Sakura had simply leaped off it and hunted one of the tigers that prowled the riverbank as soon as it happened. The whole fight hadn't taken more than two minutes – she had put the beast in a Genjutsu, killed it and then evaded several other monsters while she brought it back to the float.

Sasuke hadn't said anything then, but he had been impressed.

Now though... where was the part of her that had been so efficient? The part of her that he could respect, if only a bit.

Sasuke looked over to Kakashi and was surprised to see the man smirking. He wouldn't have noticed it, if not for the visual training he had received as a child. Why though... could the man read him that well?

Or, perhaps, was the smirk about something else?

He returned his gaze to Sakura. Maybe Kakashi wanted to tell him that his assumptions about his his female teammate were wrong. But then, what was he missing? His eyes narrowed. She walked a bit hunched over as if she prepared herself to curl up into a ball at a moment's notice – a sign of weakness if he ever saw one.

His brows furrowed...

Then, he saw it and his eyes widened a tiny fraction, unseen by everyone but his sensei.

_The forest had left a mark on her..._

How could he have missed something this obvious, he chided himself. Well, perhaps obvious was the wrong word for it.

Her arms were firmly wrapped around her body as if she was hugging herself – too afraid of her surroundings to even look up... and then he saw the knives taped to her left shoulder and concealed by her red dress. They were hidden, but ready to be drawn instantly should the need arise.

Sasuke concentrated on her moss-green eyes and was left with the uncomfortable feeling that his assumptions about her had been wrong – very wrong, and very deadly. These eyes that made her look terrified to an outsider, as if she had been pushed into a world of adults far too early, were glinting with well-hidden suspicion.

No, his teammate wasn't terrified of _Tanyu_.

Instead, she treated everyone in the capital of Hi no Kuni as a potential enemy – very much like she did during their stint in Ground 44 where everything but her teammates had been hostiles.

Sasuke looked back to Kakashi and noticed that the Jōnin's smirk had become more pronounced. He silently cursed Kakashi's otherworldly sense of perception. It definitely wasn't a pleasant feeling to know that the prided eyes of the Uchiha had missed crucial details which could have gotten him killed if Sakura had wanted to.

He fixed his gaze on his last teammate, the loudmouthed pariah of Konoha. If Ground 44 had made such an impact on the pink-haired girl, who knew what it had done to the blond? He didn't want to be caught surprised again, and even less did he want to be caught underestimating them by Kakashi.

Naruto walked with careless – and also foreign – grace. His arms were crossed behind his head and a cheery smile played on his lips. The obvious truth though, that the blond really was just that free of worry... it had become difficult to ascertain after the forest.

The blond had hardly spoken in the two weeks they had spent together. Now, two days later, he still didn't talk much, not even to ask their sensei inane questions. It was odd, and gave the few times when Naruto spoke a sense of importance that felt completely out of place with his previous preconceptions of the blond.

Sasuke noticed a tiny shimmer between Naruto's interlaced fingers. Too small and unobtrusive to be seen by the untrained eye... and he understood.

_On Naruto, too, the forest had left its mark..._

Sasuke looked at his own hands. They were stuffed into his pockets and curled around a few shuriken each.

The forest, he supposed, had marked all of them. In different, yet familiar ways.

* * *

Naruto was less surprised than he should have been when Kakashi led his team into a shady alley while four identical clones walked away with the attention of the guards focused solely on them. He had no idea what Kakashi had done to make the transition that seamless. Naruto had noticed it, of course, but that was a given as he was a member of Team 7.

He gazed at his pink-haired teammate. Kakashi had given her a Genjutsu to master... so, if it had anything to do with subterfuge and illusions, Sakura was the best choice to get answers.

Their sensei certainly wouldn't volunteer any for free.

Sakura noticed him looking and shrugged. "I don't know," she answered his unasked question. "I'd wager it was something that affected the place though, not the guards themselves. You know... making everyone who looks at a certain area have distorted senses, or something."

"You will have some time to figure it out later," Kakashi interrupted. "Now... I'm sure you noticed the rather rude reception we got. Any thoughts?"

Sasuke frowned. "Fear?" he asked.

"Why though? I mean I get _why_ in general, but why here?" Naruto replied, equally confused. He thought back to the people who had noticed their forehead protectors and had narrowed their eyes in suspicion.

It didn't make sense, and Naruto made his opinion known, "We're in _Tanyu_, for Kami's sake! This is the capital of Hi no Kuni... shouldn't they like us?"

Kakashi looked over the edge of his book. "Sakura? Your thoughts?"

"It doesn't matter to them if we're from Konoha, or from another village," she answered; a sour expression plastered on her face. "We're shinōbi, that's all they need to know to judge us. In the past, we were something like a fairytale – mysterious, unseen, unknown. The boogeyman, if you will..."

"And now?" Sasuke asked, confusion glinting in his eyes. "What are we now?"

"Now, Konoha is a village in their country filled with people who kill, spy, steal, and kill some more," Sakura shrugged. "Our village isn't really hidden, is it? We've become _real_ to them. I've got no clue about the politics, there have to be some though. The Daimyos wife is seen regularly in Konoha, isn't she?"

"But... don't we protect them?"

"Do we really? They've told us in the academy that the largest part of Konoha's contracts come from Hi no Kuni. So what are they supposed to think? If one merchant hires us to kill another merchant, we're well in our _rights_ to accept the mission."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You know a lot about this..."

"My father's a merchant, and my grandparents died while being ambushed by shinōbi. As far as I've been told, he moved to Konoha for the security the village offered."

"You moved to a shinōbi village... to be protected from shinōbi?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.

"I don't really know. I wasn't there then... still, I guess it _is_ smart. I don't know if father hates shinōbi, but there's no place safer than Konoha. Who'd attack the village? We've learned that Konoha looks out for each of her inhabitants."

Sakura's voice had become somewhat frigid as she talked about her father. Naruto didn't really understand... family was important, wasn't it?

Nonetheless, he decided to keep silent. It was obvious that Sakura had some problems of her own, and it wasn't his place to intervene in everything – something he had learned during weeks spent in silence.

"Wouldn't the Daimyo be... I don't know... angry? I mean if Konoha kills a merchant from _Tanyu_, doesn't that kinda defeat our purpose of protecting Hi no Kuni?"

"Protecting Hi no Kuni?" Kakashi turned to Naruto, his eye crinkled in cynical amusement. "What the hell have they taught you in the academy?"

"Iruka-sensei said that we're guardians..." Naruto trailed off.

"... entering into servitude to the _Hi no Ishi_." Sakura finished, remembering the lecture perfectly.

Kakashi closed his eye and sighed. "And where is it written that the _Hi no Ishi_ extends beyond Konoha's walls?"

He chuckled mirthlessly. "Konoha is a village of shinōbi, nothing more, nothing less. We are an autonomic entity in Hi no Kuni, serving nothing but our own interest."

"And the Daimyo accepts that? Hard to believe," Sasuke said.

"Oh, our dear Daimyo doesn't like it, not one bit... but what can he do? What can any Daimyo do, if there's a village of silent killers in his country? March his armies against us? He, his family, his whole chain of command... they'd be dead before the orders even reached the troops."

"What about the twelve Guardians though? I heard Jiji's son had joined them and protected the Daimyo before he came back to become a sensei," Naruto asked.

"It is very rare for a shinōbi of Konoha to join the twelve Guardians... not because it is an honorable position, mind you... rather, it puts you in a position where you might have to fight your own village, your comrades, depending on how the political wind blows."

"So, Asuma-sensei..."

"... joined them to spite his father. It was quite a coup for the Daimyo."

Sakura frowned. "Despite all this... why haven't we seized control then? Not that I like it, but it's strange."

It was Naruto who answered her, "Numbers... the Daimyo's army is huge. We can kill the guy four times over, but the army would still be there. I guess there's some sort of truce?"

"There is," Kakashi answered. "Despite the obvious drawbacks and concessions the Daimyo has to grant us, there are advantages to have an alliance with a shinōbi village. We might not restrict ourselves in the missions we take, but there's a silent agreement that – in general – we do nothing that would endanger Hi no Kuni in its entirety. Also, in times of war, the Daimyo can hire us for smaller fees and we won't aid the enemy's nation."

"What are the concessions then?" Sasuke asked. "Konoha's bound to ask for something for offering help."

"For one, the Daimyo won't involve himself in shinōbi matters. Meaning that every mission within Hi no Kuni is out of his jurisdiction for as long as we keep to our part of the silent agreement," Kakashi's smile changed into a predatory grin. "And secondly, we get gold... a lot of gold. The exact numbers are over your pay grade."

"No wonder they don't trust us," Naruto whispered. "We're bleeding them dry..."

"We're shinōbi, Naruto. Welcome to the reality of our world."

Naruto looked over to his teammates and was relieved to see that they too, looked a bit queasy.

Their perception of the world changed, and one could argue that it wasn't for the better. Dreams of glorious battles, of saving princesses and protecting nations in need... they made themselves out to be just that – _dreams_.

* * *

It hadn't taken long for them to catch up with their clones. Team 7 substituted with them and left the guards none the wiser – another point on the _Kawarimi'_s steadily growing list of positives. They traversed the busy merchant district without much delay, taking an hour to look at the many different wares offered before they entered into one of the many inns scattered throughout the capital.

A subtle surge of chakra passed Sakura, and for a moment she was a bit scared. She hadn't expected another shinōbi in their immediate vicinity... however, when Sakura traced the surge back to its origin, her eyes landed on Team 7's sensei.

Kakashi led the team away from the inn's owner and walked them through the building. He instructed his Genin to settle down in a room he had pointed out previously.

"Sensei," Sakura said. "What was that surge?"

For a moment she saw a brief look of surprise flash across his eye, but it vanished so quickly that she chalked it up to her imagination.

"Interesting... you were able to sense that?" Kakashi murmured. "Naruto, Sasuke... did you two notice anything?"

"..."

Kakashi nodded once, then turned back to Sakura. "Well, what do you think it was?

The pink-haired girl bit her lip. "It was very subtle... a detection Jutsu? I've heard something about a technique that works like a sonar to detect other chakra sources in the area..."

Then, she shook her head. "No, that can't be it... the effect wasn't widespread. It barely passed me before dissipating..."

Naruto, who had been silent up to that point, listened carefully to Sakura's description: a very subtle and weak pulse of chakra, barely noticeable to someone without good control and senses, and an inn owner who hadn't been paid by their sensei, letting them stay in a room for free.

His stomach lurched. It made sense. In fact, it made too much sense and Naruto wasn't comfortable with his sudden realization... not at all.

"Genjutsu," Sasuke grunted, having come to the same conclusion as his blond teammate.

"But..." Sakura's eyes snapped up to Kakashi. "You made him believe we already paid?"

It was immoral. A disgusting use of their sensei's abilities. Naruto noticed that Sakura's voice had rise quite a bit, perhaps even becoming slightly hysterical. He agreed though. Things like that were probably the reason why civilians looked at them with distrust and suspicion.

"Quite a nice Illusion, I think..." Kakashi eye-smiled.

Then, he noticed the shocked expressions plastered on his Genin's faces. "I really need to talk with the Hokage about this... there's no way the academy curriculum could have fallen that much since I graduated."

"That- That's wrong!" Naruto exclaimed agitatedly. His voice had risen to the volume that had been usual before his stint in Ground 44. "We can't just... he's a civy... that's just stealing..."

"We're shinōbi. Is it wrong to act in the interest of our village?" Kakashi replied.

"How can this be for Konoha? All we do is confuse and rob some civilians!"

Even Sakura, who normally disagreed with her blond teammate on principle, couldn't stomach Kakashi's explanation that easily.

"_Hn_."

"Seriously, I'm going to submit a formal complaint about the educational standard in the village... you're reactions aren't even funny anymore," Kakashi's lone eye was shut and his face set in obvious displeasure.

"Lesson time it is, then. Reason me through the whole thing; the aim of my actions was to the benefit of Konoha in _some_ way. Sasuke, you start!"

Sasuke frowned and remained silent for a few seconds. Then he spoke reluctantly," You made the man think we already paid..." Sasuke shrugged. "You didn't loose any money, which means you can buy more expensive gear in the future."

"... correct to a certain extent," Kakashi granted. "Not really what I aimed for though. Sakura, your turn!"

"I- My father told me once that most inns belong to larger companies... some discrepancies will turn up at the end of the month. You could cost this man his job!"

"Close, but still no prize for you. And no, the man won't lose his job. Inns, especially those in larger cities, usually have owners that are somewhat trusted by their companies. Naruto?"

Naruto stared down at the tatami mat he sat on. Kakashi didn't pay money; the company will notice the loss of it, but the owner won't be accused of theft...

Synapses that had been trained hard during his years as a prankster went into overdrive and started to connect the dots in many different ways – coming to many different conclusions. Everyone of them nonsensical, until one stood out that made sense.

A bizarre and twisted sense.

He felt sick. Was this what he signed up for when he made it his ultimate goal to become Hokage?

His answer was delivered in a tortured voice, immediately catching the attention of his teammates. "We get a mission out of it, maybe even a chance to pin blame on another village."

"How so?" Kakashi asked, somewhat surprised that the village pariah had managed to look _underneath the underneath_ as he liked to call it.

"The company will notice the loss, but because they _trust_ the owner, they'll launch an investigation or something to see where the money went to... you're a Jōnin though, so they won't find anything..." he trailed off.

Sasuke who finally saw the reason for himself continued in Naruto's stead. He wasn't normally one for acts of kindness, but somehow it bothered him to see how uncomfortable his teammate looked. "And because they won't find anything, they'll ask shinōbi for help. Konoha is the closest village to the crime scene, so the mission goes to our village. That's..."

"... twisted," Sakura finished with an expression of disgust.

"_Ma_, don't read too much into it. You're right, but the companies will barely notice the loss. They're wealthy enough that such a mission won't even make a dent in their fortunes. You don't need to worry about doing this yourself until you're at least Chūnin."

Naruto grimaced. "But it could become more," he whispered.

"That's right," Kakashi nodded solemnly. "But the outcome of the mission depends on the current political climate. Normally we just plant evidence that some skilled thieves broke in and let it be. Sometimes though, it's necessary to implicate others – potentially innocent parties. Depending on the evidence that either leads to more conflict, thus more missions, or to lesser missions for another village."

After that statement, the room was silent for a few minutes... until Sakura's head suddenly snapped up.

"But... the guards have seen us, haven't they, Kakashi-sensei? We substituted with your clones before we entered the inn."

"We have? Give your sensei some credit, Sakura. We substituted with _one_ group of my clones. The second group though, is still on the streets, watched by the guards. No one but us four knows that we're currently here."

Then, Kakashi smiled indulgently. "We're substituting with them in half an hour or so. They should be near to our real destination around that time."

"Our _real_ destination?" Sasuke arched an eyebrow.

"Mhh? Oh, right. I meant the Daimyo's court..."

* * *

"Hatake Kakashi... Thief of thousand techniques, son of Konoha's _White Fang_... you are young, yet your reputation precedes you. A man of many talents they say... feared, on and off the battlefield. Tell me, Hatake-san, what is it that you seek in_ Tanyu_. What is it that you seek in _my_ home?"

Shinōbi didn't bow to anyone else but their Kage. Team 7 was no different.

Naruto though, despite his obvious disregard for authority, felt that it was in his best interest to keep his mouth glued shut in the presence of the Daimyo.

This man, clothed in red robes of finest silk and hung with heavy golden chains, looked at them through penetrating gray eyes. They seemed out of place on such an old, wrinkled and weathered face.

He wasn't a man to cross lightly, if ever...

Somehow, Naruto knew that this man wouldn't tolerate titles like _Oji-san_ or _Jiji_.

He felt that the atmosphere was tense. Too tense. Team 7 stood in a large hall. Red marble pillars with intricate ornamental design stemmed the burden of a roof that looked ridiculously complex from the outside.

There was a space of approximately fifty feet between them and the Daimyo, who was seated on a _golden_ tatami mat – surrounded by advisers and guards.

Naruto would have felt much more comfortable had he been oblivious to the politics between Konoha and the Daimyo. Kakashi though had robbed him off that particular security – bastard that he was.

He let his gaze swivel through the hall again. He didn't care much for the advisers. Although vastly differing in their various girths, they were all of the same kind: pencil pushers who had never exercised a day in their lives.

Naruto wouldn't underestimate them, but from a purely shinōbi point of view... they weren't much of a threat. The man who he assumed to be the head adviser – or something similar like that – wore a green robe like all his contemporaries, just with three golden lines interwoven into the fabric.

Then, he observed the guards. Carefully. Should things escalate, those were the persons he had to look out for. Dozens of samurai were lined up alongside the pillars – unmoving, unrelenting, unblinking.

Regular samurais though, for all their strength and accomplishments through their unique usage of chakra, weren't the issue. If the situation was to become hostile, they wouldn't be much of a hindrance.

He had faith in his sensei – bastard that he was – and even more so after the Daimyo was nice enough to list off Kakashi's various titles. The Jōnin would know how to deal with the guards.

No... what really bothered Naruto were the three people sitting behind the Daimyo – a sign of visible trust in them, if there ever was one. They wore the sash of the twelve guardians.

One looked to be just another samurai, though with a different armor. The sense of power the man radiated however was unmistakable.

The woman beside him was dressed rather casually, as was the last member of the trio – nothing beside the sash hinted toward anything else but them being civilians. Yet, their seemingly innocent eyes reeked of keen minds and superior observational power.

They were dangerous, insanely so.

Not to mention the few pairs of eyes that were watching them from the shadows.

All in all, Naruto could think of many places where he'd rather be right now...

"I have a favor to ask of you, Daimyo-sama," Kakashi answered at last.

Naruto had to fight the smile that threatened to split his face in half. He succeeded, if barely.

Even Sasuke had to suppress a grin at seeing the audacity of their sensei.

The guards remained unmoving, but the advisers who had no training in concealing their emotions twitched and whispered furiously among themselves.

"Oh? And why should I grant you a favor, Hatake-san? What have you done for _me_, for _Tanyu_, to warrant a reward?"

Kakashi's eye curved upward. He took an official looking scroll out of his pocket and presented it as nonthreatening as possible.

"Three decades ago, Hatake Sakumo saved the life of your predecessor. As a reward, the Daimyo gave my clan this writ to be used once... granting my family one favor as long as it remains in the realms of possibility."

The Daimyo didn't respond. He waited for one of his guards to bring him the document after it had been tested for traps and poisons.

After he read it, his brow furrowed. "You said it yourself – this writ was issued by my predecessor. Why should I be bound by it?"

Sakura blanched when she saw the outlines of Kakashi's mask form into a predatory grin.

"True, Daimyo-sama..." Kakashi said. "Legally you're not bound by it. But is not the honor of _Tanyu_, _your_ honor, in danger if you refuse?"

The Genin of Team 7 wanted to slam their heads against a wall. The insulting wordplay wasn't lost on them.

The Daimyo's eyes narrowed into slits. The Guards became agitated and moved their hands to the hilts of their swords. Tense seconds followed.

Team 7 readied itself for anything – from simply bulldozing their way out of the palace... to killing everyone inside.

Then, the man's stance relaxed. He still seemed very alert though.

"Name your favor and I will see it done."

"Thank you, Daimyo-sama," Kakashi replied with fake cheer. "It isn't anything big... each of my charges has different fields that interest them. I'd be grateful if you took them into your court and off my hands for the next month."

The Daimyo ignored the surprised looks the Jōnin's students shot their teacher. "What is it that they aspire to learn?"

"Sasuke here is very interested in learning the art of swordplay," Kakashi said and nodded toward Sasuke.

He saw that the samurai behind the Daimyo was about to protest and elaborated quickly, "I don't expect miracles. A solid grounding – as much as you can manage in a month – would be appreciated though."

Sasuke twitched. He had never uttered the wish to learn anything about swords... then, his eyes widened in shock and outrage as his sensei continued to speak.

"... naturally, to make the training more strenuous, Sasuke won't be able to use any chakra in those four weeks."

Kakashi ignored his student's plight and pointed to the girl of Team 7. "Sakura always thought the women at court to be most graceful... why, she even told me in in confidence that if she had the necessary background, she'd do anything to get a place in your entourage."

Naruto saw the pink-haired girl flush red. He didn't know whether it was in anger or embarrassment though.

He gulped when Kakashi turned to him.

"... and Naruto here. Well, he has the most interesting ambition of them all, I believe. You see, he wishes to become Hokage. My student isn't dumb though. He immediately acknowledged the importance of politics regarding his choice of occupation."

Naruto's mouth twisted into a strained smile as Kakashi ruffled his hair.

"He is so dedicated..." Kakashi continued, "... why, he made it his life-long mission to learn as much as possible about the topic. A month with your trusted advisers could only aid him in his pursuit."

Naruto looked to his teammates and saw that they were equally dismayed.

To pervert his dream, his life-long goal, like this...

One day, their sensei would pay for this travesty.

* * *

**AN:** No new techniques, but a few words/explanations.

_Tanyu_ – Capital of Hi no Kuni / Seat of residency of the Daimyo

_Hi no Ishi_ – The Will of Fire

**The Hatake Clan: **

Compared to the larger clans like the Uchiha, Senju, Akimichi, and Nara, the Hatakes never had much clout in the political sense. Indeed, despite the fact that they too had been shinōbi of Konoha since its foundation, they never even held a seat on the informal clan council.

Small and without say in the decisions governing their home, they were lucky to even have a clan compound. Still, none of the larger clans ever took them lightly, or insulted them without fearing the repercussions.

For the Hatake's, lacking as they were in other areas, were absolute juggernauts on the battlefield. In each generation since the clan's foundation, there has been at least one or two shinōbi with a ranking of A-, or even S-class.

The clan is known for its absurd mastery over the most basic of shinōbi techniques – many variations of the _Kawarimi_ included. Also important is the inclusion of the summoning contract for dogs to their inventory, which had been added by Hatake Sakumo's father.

After Sakumo's suicide, the reputation of the Hatake clan had taken a great hit. But, although the clan is still scorned by the more conservative people of Konoha, Hatake Kakashi, last member of the clan, is slowly changing the bad image through his own quickly rising reputation.


	4. IV - Politics, Grace, Swords

And that's it for chapter 4. I hope you'll enjoy this one – it wasn't easy to write.

* * *

**Team 7's Ascension**

_Written by Eilyfe_

**Chapter IV – Politics, Grace, Swords**

* * *

_Splash –_ mud and dirt flew through the air.

Sasuke shifted his foot a few inches to the right. He was wary of the vicious nature the earth apparently possessed in these parts of Hi no Kuni.

_One step back_ – he swung his sword downward.

_Change of grip_ – he whirled around, stabbing an imaginary opponent.

… Itachi, _if_ he indulged in his darker phantasies.

His arms and legs burned. Not literally, but nonetheless it was a feeling he disliked. Tiredness that felt so alien, that he was unaccustomed to. He hated Kakashi. The sensation of broken bones, of painful bruises... those he knew, but this utter exhaustion, his body brought to its physical limit was... unfamiliar.

He hated it too.

_Another slash, another step, a new stance. _

Yes. Kakashi, too, featured quite frequently in the violent images he created during the mind numbing training. He would pay, someday. A well placed kunai, stabbed into the man's visible eye – a fitting punishment.

_Stab. Whirl. Change of grip. Slash_.

Shinōbi relied on their chakra. It was an easy concept and the fundamental truth in their bloody business. Whether external or internal, it granted them the ability to achieve the impossible. Without it they were nothing.

Well, nothing might be a bit harsh, Sasuke amended.

He'd definitely call it sub-par though. Without chakra they were normal foot soldiers. Grunts. One face among thousands, nothing to separate themselves from the masses.

There was a definite limit to how much the human body could achieve in terms of physically strenuous exercises – with chakra this limit didn't exist.

The internal use of chakra: strengthening bones, amplifying speed, heightening one's endurance... these were things taught in the first few classes at the academy. Those who weren't even capable of this were thrown out of the program faster than his blond teammate could eat a bowl of ramen.

It was, of course, also influenced by a person's reserves as well as control, but the basics... the premise... it could be found in each and everyone who aspired to become a shinōbi.

When he felt tired it was because his reserves had run low. Then he just needed to rest and recharge them. Pumping chakra through his body, even for the most menial of tasks... it was such an ingrained reflex. It had been basically trained into him since his birth.

Doing something else felt _wrong_.

Kakashi had sealed his chakra, and he would pay – eventually – for introducing Sasuke to the concept of pure physical exhaustion.

Sasuke saw a sword approaching and quickly lifted his own to parry the incoming attack.

_Clang_.

The force behind the strike was surreal and although he gripped the hilt of his sword with his second hand, it was futile.

Sasuke's knees buckled.

His mind wasn't sealed though. He could use that, at least, and frantically tried to think up a strategy that would help him out of this predicament. Sasuke slid a few inches to the left planning to counter, when his feet suddenly left the ground and he fell painfully on his back.

_Splash. _

_Damn mud_.

He found himself watching the pointed edge of a sword that lazily traced his moving Adam's Apple.

"You're dead," his asshole of an instructor informed him.

Sasuke hated that man too.

"_Hn_," he grunted then grumbled under his breath, "... if I had chakra, you'd lose."

The instructor arched his eyebrows sceptically, then he laughed. He nodded pointedly to the sword that still kept the Uchiha firmly rooted to his place in the mud.

"The difference... _shinōbi_... is that you have no chakra right now. Nothing changes – you're still dead."

"Kakashi-sensei sealed it. That's the only reason you won," Sasuke replied sourly.

A grin formed on the instructor's face, only widening when he saw Sasuke's clenched fists. "I don't know much 'bout you shinōbi... but what's going to happen if you run out of chakra in a fight?"

To make his point clear, the man kicked Sasuke in his side – something the Uchiha hadn't counted on. "See? You're just goin' to roll over and die?"

Sasuke wanted to say something. He desperately wanted to defend himself, his honor, but somehow the words – _I'd never run out of chakra_ – sounded hollow. Especially as he was still gasping painfully for breath after the kick.

He knew that the man spoke the truth... and his pride made Sasuke despise him for it.

"_Hn_," Sasuke grunted again.

"Look," the instructor rolled his eyes. "Your teacher left you here for a reason. Sure, it's nice to know more about swords... but if you really think that's the only reason then you're just a little kid."

"..."

"Anyway... let's continue," the instructor stepped back and Sasuke rose from the ground, intent on wiping the annoying smirk off the man's face.

* * *

The four week period had ended remarkably fast for the blond maverick – unsurprisingly, he had loathed nearly all of the thirty days with all his being.

This, however, hadn't been the case because it was a boring month like he assumed at first. No, his loathing ran deeper, far deeper.

Hate didn't come easy to him. Truly, he didn't even hate the bigoted villagers of Konoha for ignoring him all the time. Dislike, perhaps... but never with such a strong feeling of disgust as the one that had boiled in his stomach these last weeks.

He endured as the head adviser of the Daimyo talked about various political decisions. The man's voice was disgustingly sweet, he now recognized.

At least he had learned to fake interest in conversations fairly proficiently.

The adviser's chin wobbled slightly with each new word – he really shouldn't talk while eating food that left his fingers sticky and his lips greasy. In a rare moment of self-depreciation, Naruto reflected on his own eating habits and found them sorely lacking, too.

He would change that. Definitely. His love for the food of Kami would never vanish, but perhaps a bit of restraint would be appropriate in the future.

Naruto gritted his teeth and listened to the tale of another vicious plot the man had pushed through the Daimyo's court with reckless abandon, completely uncaring for the corpses his manipulations had left in its wake.

Had Kakashi-sensei intervened in Sasukes and Sakura's training too? It didn't matter, he supposed. He definitely wasn't angry with the hint his sensei had left him.

Thankful was a better fitting word, actually, because without the Jonin's timely intervention, Naruto would have fallen victim to the rotten manipulations of a man who was apparently quite experienced in pulling the strings of people like one of Suna's master puppeteers.

"_So, you aspire to become Hokage, young Naruto?" the head adviser asked._

_A gentle smile tugged at the man's lips, and in a friendly gesture his hand came to rest on Naruto's shoulder, guiding him through the beautiful gardens adjacent to the Daimyo's palace. _

"_That certainly is an admirable goal... not outside the realm of possibility either."_

"_Believe it," Naruto responded, his voice was a bit more subdued but nonetheless cheerful. "I'll become strong, like Hokage-jiji."_

_In a whisper that wasn't meant to be heard by the man, he added, "They'll have to respect me then..."_

_The adviser's smile widened. "You're a sharp boy, young Naruto. Don't forget though that strength alone isn't enough to become a leader of men."_

"_Eh? What else do I need? The old man's plenty strong."_

"_You need alliances," the man said._

_He elaborated when he saw Naruto's confused look. "Friends, if you will – people that are strong and can help you. I like you, my boy. Why, I think I could become your first ally... and maybe, in the future, I will be there to see you accept the responsibility of being Hokage."_

_Naruto scrunched up his face. "You don't look that strong," he responded brashly, and paled a bit when he noticed how rude his reply had been. "I mean, I'd like to be your friend too, but are you sure that you can... you know, help me get the hat?"_

"_Strength, young Naruto, comes in many different ways. Let me tell you a story that you might find interesting..."_

Such honeyed words... and like a kid starved for attention he had hung on every sentence.

The adviser was currently pointing at some scribbled lines on a large, unfurled map that explained the importance of several different trade routes in Hi no Kuni, as well as their economical value.

A bitter smile stretched Naruto's lips. In the dim light of the oil lamps hanging over them however, it looked like a happy grin to the adviser. Even the enemy could teach valuable lessons, Naruto learned.

Although those were much more difficult to swallow and always came with a steep price: his innocence, or at least what's left of it after Ground 44.

"_... and that was how we kept the uprising under wraps, simultaneously acquiring the rare chance to build a few trading posts in Kaminari no Kuni."_

"_Wow, that's pretty awesome, Oji-san," Naruto replied and grinned. _

_The adviser had told him a lot of stories like this one over the last three days and Naruto had to admit, the guy was kinda cool, even though he couldn't really fight. As a prankster he could appreciate a well thought-out plan after all. _

_Using only words wasn't his preferred way of solving problems, granted, but he conceded that it could get the job done just as well._

_Really, the weapons were different, but the old man was powerful in his own way... and as a shinōbi Naruto respected power at least to some degree._

He grimaced. The man had been good, really, if a bit sloppy in disguising his intentions. It was likely, Naruto assumed, that the adviser hadn't felt it necessary to conceal much in front of a child that seemed rather dim-witted. Not that Naruto would ever refer to himself as such... still, the man had masterfully played on all his insecurities.

… and he felt a burning sensation of shame that he fell for it so easily. Apparently, all it took for him to trust someone was a bit of attention, a few bland smiles and some words of encouragement that he'd achieve his dream sooner or later.

"Why the grimace, young Naruto? Is the food not to your liking?"

Naruto thanked Kami that the man hadn't payed attention to what fruits he ate. He pointed to the silver platter with a rich assortment of berries. "Picked a sour one," he replied, scratching his head sheepishly.

He should have known better after the debacle with that bastard teacher Mizuki. Obviously he hadn't learned his lesson as well as he thought.

"_Yo."_

_A familiar voice startled Naruto as he was about to go to bed in one of the more luxurious rooms the palace held – courtesy of the head adviser. He looked up, and was surprised to see his sensei crouching on the windowsill, easily balancing on the three inches thick wood while reading his beloved book._

_Kakashi snapped his orange lecture shut and jumped into the room, landing gracefully in front of Naruto. "Basic shinōbi skill number four: awareness," he said. "Never let yourself be surprised. The greatest Jutsu won't help you if you don't notice me slitting your throat."_

_Naruto looked sufficiently chagrined. "Heh, sorry 'bout that, Kakashi-sensei."_

"_Anyway, I observed some of your lessons with the head adviser..."_

"_He's strong, right? I mean, he's not good at fighting, but he can kick ass with speaking," Naruto grinned._

"_Ma, if you say so. I'm just here to check up on you and thought I'd offer a bit of advice... Mizuki."_

_Before Naruto could rant about the cryptic advice, Kakashi had already left, leaving him alone to ponder his words._

It was only a single word... but that was all it took to plant the seed of doubt in him.

Mizuki, that rat bastard of a Chūnin had not only betrayed Naruto, he had also hurt Iruka and deceived him in a desperate ploy. To Naruto, the mentioning of the bastard's name alone was plenty cause for concern.

Putting that in conjunction with the head adviser was... worrying to the extreme.

He had needed a day – where he faked sickness – to get his thoughts back in order, and he sure as hell hadn't wasted those hours of contemplation.

Nice words suddenly became fiendish manipulations if looked at from a different perspective. Sugared encouragements were – in the end – nothing more than subtle lies, trying to undermine his loyalty to the Hokage and Konoha.

Oh, he was thankful for Kakashi's warning. Still, the man deserved a good prank for even throwing him into this pit of depraved vipers.

Naruto reached into a large, golden bowl and fished out a strawberry. His cerulean eyes glinted with false innocence.

… what wouldn't he sacrifice for a bowl of warm, steaming ramen now? Certainly the fat man in front of him.

Sure, it was nice to try out different foods. Even the more expensive kind, but abandoning the food of Kami for three months in a row now... he started to doubt that becoming a shinōbi had been worth it.

"Naruto, my boy... it saddens me to see you leave. You truly have the potential to become a masterful politician."

The strawberry halted on its way to his mouth.

He put on a cheerful smile when he answered, "Thanks, old man. I'll be Hokage in no time, you'll see."

"Yes, you will be... but, don't forget me when you're climbing the ranks, eh?"

"Oh, I doubt I'll ever forget _you_ or your _lessons_, Oji-san," Naruto replied.

In a few minutes, Kakashi would finally come to get him out of this hellhole and Naruto found that he couldn't wait for it to happen. Playing the admiring little child while being completely disgusted with the man in front of him had been hard.

Possibly harder than anything he had done so far.

* * *

It was undeniable that Sakura was glad when she saw the familiar silhouettes of her teammates and sensei walking through the thick morning fog. The last month had been upsetting in several ways and not one day had gone by when she didn't feel the urge to blow the palace sky-high.

To simply stab everyone with a kunai – this place had even driven her to agree with her inner voice. It was a rare occurrence at any rate... but, unfortunately, there hadn't been a possibility for a violent outlet such as that.

Day in and day out she had been forced to follow one of the more experienced women at court, pandering and simpering... fulfilling the obese nobles' every wish.

_Maddening_.

Utterly and completely sickening... and the only reason why she stayed her hand had been the veiled glares and hidden threats from the shinōbi escort that was duty bound to protect the Daimyo's entourage at all times.

Those guys had probably felt her killing intent... weak as it was.

The worst, however, was that she still didn't know what Kakashi had tried to teach her with this one month of torture. Sure, she had added some skills to her repertoire which might help in future infiltration missions. Though, abandoning her for a whole month, just for _this_?

Sakura fiddled with the hems of her triple-layered dress.

A few months ago she might have even liked it. Now, however, she wanted nothing more than burn it to cinders.

To set fire to it... like the uppity sluts of the palace had done with her own favorite dress.

She'd kill them someday. Slowly.

Her team closed the distance between them, and her eyes widened a bit when she saw Naruto and Sasuke. They, too, hadn't managed to escape a change of attire it seemed.

… and, oh boy, did the blond prankster look uncomfortable in the formal white kimono. Her lips curved upward and Naruto, who saw her weak attempt at hiding her laughter, narrowed his eyes.

That proved to be too much. All the stress that had accumulated over the last month released itself in gales of hysterical laughter. In response, Naruto looked – if possible – even more annoyed. She quickly wiped the tears out of her eyes.

"It suits you," she commented lightly.

"_Hn_."

Naruto's attempted imitation of Sasuke was so ridiculously weak that even the Uchiha had to fight hard to cover up his grin.

"That's not how you do it," Sasuke said.

"... if you say so," Naruto shrugged. Then he looked back to the palace and shuddered. "I don't care. Let's get the hell out of here."

Sakura observed his stiff posture with interest. "That bad?"

"Worse," Naruto snorted, his eyes suddenly gleaming with mischief. "... and don't tell me you had it any better. I saw you – down in the gardens, with the rest of the entourage. _Here my liege, do you want some fruit? Oh, Adviser-sama, do you require more tea_? Fun month, eh?"

She threw a kunai at him and huffed when he casually snatched it out of the air. "If I ever have to set foot in this place again, it's too soon."

"Ma, it couldn't have been that bad," Kakashi intervened, smiling cheerfully as he saw Sasuke's murderous look.

"Seal. Release."

"Wow, Bastard's pissed," Naruto sniggered.

"_Now._"

"Of course, _Sasuke-chan_," Kakashi replied before getting to work.

* * *

"Why aren't we allowed to change our clothes? I seem to have forgotten," Naruto said sarcastically, grimacing as he tugged at his now filthy kimono.

Grass stains, tears, splatters of mud... no, the regal outfit definitely didn't look as good as it had done when he had gotten it.

Team 7 had left Tanyu five days ago, but instead of returning to Konoha, Kakashi led them on a merry trip through the endless forests of Hi no Kuni – vast green expanses with gigantic trees. Rays of sunshine that broke through even the thickest canopy.

Unfortunately, they had no time to enjoy the trip.

The tempo Kakashi set was fast paced. The time to rest was restricted to once a day, and the food they ate had to be hunted or gathered during this short pause. Their sensei was a slave driver of the worst possible sort, Team 7 decided.

"You won't always have the chance to change during a mission... better get used to it now."

"... and why aren't we allowed to wash our clothes?" Sakura asked.

She looked down and examined the tattered remains of her once ridiculously layered dress. It had stopped to give out a royal vibe around two days ago, and she was more than just a bit self-conscious about the smell – and most of all – the amount of skin it showed, now that it had teared in many places.

"Others might notice if you smell like roses," Kakashi answered and smirked, easily hopping from tree to tree. "To hide in the forest, become the forest."

"That makes absolutely no sense," Naruto grumbled. He grimaced when a gust of wind brought his own odor closer to his nose.

"_Hn_."

Naruto then craned his neck and regarded his Jōnin-sensei with a suspicious look. "Why don't you smell like the forest then?"

"A combination of minor _Suit__ō__n_ and _Fut__ō__n_ techniques. I don't need a pause to clean my clothes, " Kakashi replied, too cheerful not to be faked.

"Can you teach us?" Sasuke asked; bad-smelling clothes were simply too _plebeian_.

"No."

"But, Sensei... don't you want to become the forest?" Sakura asked mischievously.

She'd be damned before the man would leave her to endure the smell alone.

Kakashi's eye glinted in amusement. "I'm not hiding."

"And we are?"

The amusement in the Jōnin's eye changed into a steely look and with precise throws, several shuriken and kunai embedded themselves a few inches away from his Genin.

"I suppose from now on you,re going to be."

"..."

* * *

Three days later, the Genin of Team 7 collapsed in a clearing. They were utterly spent and exhausted. Kakashi, who had hunted them for the last 72 hours without pause, landed gracefully in front of them. His nose was, curiously enough, not buried in his orange book; still, in comparison to his charges, the Jōnin didn't look winded in the least.

"Eight days," Kakashi muttered to himself. "Not bad for Genin... seems like Ground 44 has done you some good."

"_That_ was a test?" Sakura asked, outrage creeping into her voice.

She winced as she bandaged some of her cuts with the last bits of her dress. With the exception of a small part that she used as a skirt, the dress had now completely vanished and left her standing next to the boys of Team 7 in her bra.

The first time she noticed, Sakura had become incredibly upset and ashamed – old insecurities reared their head and new ones found fertilizer to fester... then, one of her Jōnin-sensei's Kibakufudas exploded directly next to her and partially deafened her for the better part of the day.

She simply hadn't had the time to feel insecure since then. Every bit of her concentration was spent on evading the demon Kakashi had become.

Sakura watched her chest heaving up and down, and tried to regulate her breathing somewhat. Her hands brushed over the moist grass beneath her. She was glad for the soothing coldness it emitted – the tenseness slowly left her weary muscles with each breath.

She cringed when she thought back to a few of the moments when her reserves had been so taxed during their journey that she resorted to using her own muscle strength. It hadn't been a pleasant feeling for the kunoichi... but, at least she had made it through on her own.

Something that hadn't been a given only a few months ago.

Her eyes wandered over to her blond teammate. He, too, had abandoned most of his clothing and simply used the remains of the royal kimono as some kind of kilt. It wasn't easy to admit, but she had never anticipated what kind of body the blond hid under his clothes.

Then again, they were shinōbi. She should have expected it.

One thing bothered her however... the blond had gigantic reserves. He shouldn't have had any problem with the trip, yet he looked just as exhausted as herself. As soon as she remembered his horrendous chakra control though, she grimaced in sympathy.

No wonder he also looked to be in pain. With her control, she had always sent exactly the needed amount of chakra to support herself on this trip through her body. Naruto though didn't have her control and had probably forced impossible amounts of the energy through his pathways for days.

It wouldn't surprise her if he had a few inner chakra burns alongside his tenketsus and pathways.

Sasuke, she realized belatedly, was the one best equipped for the drill they had just been run through. Enough chakra, and enough control... she was surprised by the short outburst of envy she felt at that thought.

The Jōnin took a deep breath, emitting a serene aura. For all intents and purposes, Kakashi looked like he had great wisdom to impart on his team, "Everything's a test."

Sasuke grunted as he massaged his cramped legs. "What's the purpose then? Seeing us run 'til our legs break?"

"He's right... you know?" Naruto gasped between painful breaths. "There are other ways to amuse yourself."

"Amuse myself?" Kakashi asked cheerfully. "Don't make me laugh... if I want to do that, I'll go to the _Red Sparrow_."

Naruto knew exactly what kind of establishment the _Red Sparrow_ was, and snorted. It was funny in a way, he supposed.

In another life, perhaps, the Hokage might not have reacted as fast as he did, pulling him out of the streets when the orphanage was destroyed during the escape of some Kumo shinōbi who tried to kidnap the Hyūuga heir.

Maybe he would have learned about the Red Sparrow far more intimately than he did. Luckily though – or unfortunately depending on the perspective one preferred – the apartment his surrogate grandfather had organized him was in one of the nicer parts of Konoha.

Sure, it was nowhere near the clan compounds... but, it was still far away from the slums, and that was what counted. Besides, it had the added bonus that the academy was near which had definitely been useful during the time he attended.

Only the relatively low orphan stipend and the consequent need for food had driven him into the seedier parts of Konoha, where he first noticed the brothel.

Most stuff was simply cheaper there in price as well as quality... no matter if food, booze, weapons, or – occasionally – women; not that he had any need for them when he first moved into his own apartment.

He looked over to his teammates and saw that, while being clueless at first, they quickly caught on to the Jōnin's words.

"... pervert," Sakura muttered.

"Anyway," Kakashi said, ignoring Naruto's amused grin, Sasuke's smoldering glare, and Sakura's outraged look. "You need to know your limitations. Some important missions require for you to travel at a fast pace for weeks."

"So... eight days? That sounds pretty awesome already," Naruto said.

"_Mhh_, awesome? I don't know. I'd place your travel endurance at mid Chūnin level... at best."

"We're Genin," Sasuke replied with narrowed eyes, while Naruto nodded.

"And you want to remain Genin forever?" Kakashi asked; then he looked to the Uzumaki. "I would have thought that a future Hokage wants to raise in rank someday."

Sakura, who noticed that Naruto was gearing up for a rather venomous reply, shook her head and intervened quickly, "Still, only mid Chūnin?"

"Yes. Seasoned Chūnin have the endurance to travel for two weeks with minimal pauses. The speed though is different... In the last eight days I made you move at the standard pace usually set for Genin – village regulations in peace times, you know? So, even if you held out considerably longer than I anticipated, you'd have never made it this far had I treated you like Chūnin."

In truth, the Hatake didn't give a damn about peacetime regulations. Those regulations stated that Genin had to be able to travel for four days at a quarter of the speed he had made them use... but his minions didn't know that, did they?

What they had used was more of the Chūnin standard during war... and with a bit of luck, they'd just take his word for it and work that much harder in the future.

Then again, if they did _that_, they would have failed at looking _underneath the underneath_.

Ah, well... it would be a valuable lesson either way. Someday they might learn of it, but until then he'd simply let them reap the benefits of more difficult training – sweat, blood, and tears.

"That... sucks," Naruto responded. He was decidedly unhappy with the Jōnin's explanation.

Kakashi didn't deign the blond's response worthy of answer and instead looked to the other two. "We're staying here for three weeks now – further endurance training and more chakra control."

Sasuke arched his brows. "Chakra control again?"

"Walking on water, to be precise. It's an essential skill to know, heightens your reserves and endurance, and refines your control."

Sakura's eye twitched. "And we couldn't have done that _one_ day away from Tanyu?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Kakashi asked smilingly. "Now... chop, chop, get to it."

"In these clothes?"

"Didn't we already have this discussion?"

"... there's no water here."

"Really? My bad. Give me a second."

Kakashi sped through dozens of hand seals in an instant and slammed his palms on the ground. "_Dot__ō__n – Kaisaku no Jutsu_."

The earth crumbled from his hands onward, quickly forming a rough hole in the ground around ten feet deep. He saw the hopeful expressions on his charges' faces and grimaced. "No, I won't teach you that technique. Sasuke, your turn – hardening the earth through heat should be easy for you."

"_Kat__ō__n – G__ōkakyū no Jutsu_!"

"You don't have to shout the name, you know? It won't be any less effective if you whisper it."

"Why is that, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

The Hatake looked over to his book-smart Genin and answered, "The words help you to focus, and even if you whisper them, you're focus would still be there. It's bad form to loudly announce your attack, and worse, it makes you predictable."

"The academy never taught that."

"Oh, I'm sure they did. But you were little kids – you still are by the way – and probably ignored anything else as soon as you had a technique you could boast with," Kakashi replied and flipped a page in his book, snickering.

Surprisingly enough, it was the blond maverick who spoke first. "That's... embarrassingly accurate."

"Great that you finally see the light, Naruto. Good choice of words too – it's your turn, by the way."

"My turn?"

Kakashi sighed. The three months had done the blond a world of good, but there were still a lot of holes in his education – thinking ahead being one of them.

"You said you need water to learn water walking," he answered. "I gave you the scroll for a _Suitōn_ Jutsu, didn't I?"

Naruto caught on and gaped. The technique he had learned was hilariously weak, barely enough to put out a campfire. "To fill the whole thing?"

"Well, you better get started then. Or else you'll never finish the exercise."

"You're not letting us leave until we finished it, do you?" Sakura asked resigned, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Nope."

Kakashi smiled under his mask.

In one smooth motion Sakura and Sasuke turned to the blond and glared at him with all the murderous intent they could muster.

Naruto, for one, decided that silence was the most suitable option in this situation and raced through the hand seals, "... _Suitōn – Semai Mizushuuha_."

* * *

**AN:** Well, that's it. Surprisingly, the part with Naruto and the head adviser was the most fun to write. Anyway, next chapter will probably come in 1-2 weeks, if that long.

_Kibakufuda_ – Exploding Tag

**Used Jutsu:**

_Suitōn – Semai Mizushuuha –_ Small stream of water leaving the casters mouth. (D-ranked)

_Katōn – Gōkakyū no Jutsu –_ Medium sized fireball (You should know this). (C-Ranked)

_Dotōn – Kaisaku no Jutsu –_ Excavation technique. (B-Ranked)


	5. V - Bonds of Pain and Suffering

Here's the 5th installment of T7's Ascension. I hope you'll enjoy reading just as much as I enjoyed writing.

* * *

**Team 7's Ascension**

_Written by Eilyfe_

**Chapter V – Bonds of Pain and Suffering**

* * *

Sakura's face lit up in an expression of happiness – still a bit dimmed through exhaustion though – as the large gate of Konoha's main entrance entered her view. How much had she longed for this in the last four months... a warm bath, something delicious to eat, a comfortable bed.

She glanced at her teammates and found that their expressions mirrored her own – the anticipation of their respective homes was palpable around each of the Genin.

Only a few more minutes, ten at most, and then she would be _home_. The word melted on her tongue like sweet, sweet chocolate. It felt alien, too, but that was due to her sadistic sensei who had kept her from Konoha for the last sixteen weeks. Sakura ignored the strange sensation and kept on running.

_Home_...

The same thoughts went through Naruto's mind as he closed in on the last mile toward his village. Yet, he was more cautious than his pink-haired teammate. His relief over looking upon Konoha was overshadowed by the distrust Kakashi had instilled in him during the last months.

Naruto knew that he was only able to _waste_ time thinking about his home because his Jōnin-sensei let him. Kakashi hadn't attempted an attack on Team 7 even once during their time in the woods as they learned how to walk on water.

It was out of the norm... and _that _made him wary.

He exchanged a few looks with Sasuke and saw the same concern in his charcoal black eyes. They sparked with suspicion – subtly hidden behind a veil of indifference and arrogance.

Only half a mile now until they would reach the gate, and with each passing second Naruto hardened himself.

Then _Kibakufuda_, wrapped around three kunai, suddenly lit up in front of them.

Without missing a beat, Sasuke changed his direction to the left – unfortunately away from the village gate. Naruto had barreled into Sakura and jumped away with her to follow the Uchiha, barely escaping the blast of the explosion.

_Rat bastard_, Naruto thought and bit his lower lip painfully as three small shrapnel from the kunai entered his flesh with high velocity. They ripped right through the kimono-kilt he had fashioned himself. Blood quickly soaked through the fabric, mixing with the already existing stains of mud and waste.

_Kyuubi would take care of it... sooner, or later._

His train of thought was broken when he felt Sakura wind out of his grip – she had finally started to realize the situation they were in, it seemed. He saw a pair of thankful, green eyes, but was surprised when they widened minutely and he felt himself being shoved away a split second later.

Naruto flew through the air and saw five shuriken impact on the branch Sakura had pushed him away from. His gut and experience told him that he had about three seconds before he'd impact on the ground.

Enough to see that Sasuke had slowed down a bit , preparing himself to save him, and that Sakura had nearly caught up to the Uchiha.

Naruto grinned. He wasn't useless anymore, no matter what anyone else said, and his team supported him.

_That_ was all he needed.

After a rapid seal sequence he muttered, "_Ninp__ō__: Kawarimi no Jutsu_."

The blond vanished as he was mere feet away from impact – a single kunai fell to the ground with a thud as metal met wet grass.

Naruto reappeared next to the Uchiha in a crouching position.

Sasuke, who had previously hammered a kunai into the branch to give his teammate something to substitute himself with, sighed in relief. He glanced to his right. Sakura was there, too. Their team was complete, alert, and assembled at one place...

… _so far, so good_.

The forest was silent, until another wave of shuriken and kunai sped toward them. Team 7 parried some, but evaded the most by dodging around and hiding behind obstacles like trees and stones – basically everything that lent itself toward protecting them from the onslaught of multiple weapons was used.

Naruto slid underneath a fallen tree and quickly dove forward to avoid a few projectiles. He rolled a bit, then righted himself up in one swift move and continued to run – Sasuke and Sakura right beside him, having chosen other ways around the tree.

"... and I had really started to like him after the last few weeks," Naruto huffed, exhaling harshly.

"Don't talk, Naruto. Save your energy," Sakura advised , quickly swerving to the right to escape a small, compact fireball that impacted on the branch.

Sasuke agreed with his pink-haired teammate. The principle of conserving energy was sound after all.

Still, he asked, "You know where he's herding us to, right?"

The mirrored grimaces told the Uchiha all he needed to know. Just as Sasuke had dreaded, their blasted Jōnin-sensei herded them directly into the direction of Ground 44.

Kakashi trailed several hundred feet behind his Genin, lazily juggling a shuriken over his knuckles. Meanwhile, his Kage Bunshin did their best to make Team 7's lives miserable.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi was an Elite Jōnin. He also took a special kind of sick pleasure from seeing his Genin suffer. Even better yet had been their expressions of despair when they noticed just _where_ he had been leading them to – it was glorious.

It was a moment he had forever burned into his memory, courtesy of his Sharingan.

"_Kakashi-sensei, can't we go home? I really need a shower..."_

"_Hn."_

"_Please..."_

_Kakashi smiled – a truly terrifying sight if there ever was one – and replied, "Why would you want to go home? There's much adventure to be had in this forest..."_

They hadn't enjoyed the last few days... not one bit. He had made sure of that.

He wasn't just an Elite Jōnin. No, he was also a teacher who didn't hold back as much as he probably should when facing freshly graduated Genin. Every time something remotely close to guilt crept up in the emotionally stunted Jōnin though, he just had to remember two very important facts.

Firstly, results couldn't be argued with. It was a saying his father had often used when he was still among the living.

Secondly, the Hokage had made it unmistakeably clear that he'd be hanged and quartered should Team 7 fail. Thus, his motivation was purely self-serving.

Failure was not an option.

The Genin of Team 7 didn't enjoy it. In all probability, they hated it. Still, he found it amazing that they hadn't even thought about quitting – it was just as he had told the Hokage: the potential was there. In spades.

Kakashi had made an oath when he took on Team 7. It was an oath of commitment – he would draw out their potential, every last drag of it.

To that effect he had made them spar for insane amounts of time during the last week. Either with him, or against each other. His simulations of real combat situations had really run them ragged...

Taijutsu and stealth, conserving chakra and flinging Jutsu around like madmen – fights that could last only five minutes, but sometimes were artificially prolonged to last for hours. Always though, he chased them through the forest, fighting for their lives.

Kakashi had to admit that an old character flaw of his reared its head again, and it couldn't have appeared at a worse time for his Genin. It was simply delicious to smell their fear whenever they sighted him...

Yes, curiously enough, Team 7 unleashed old sadistic tendencies in him that had been buried since the end of the third shinōbi war.

It was also that kind of sadism that actually made him consider just what he could put his team through. It was said, after all, that adversary strengthened a person's character. There was one array of skills he hadn't used on his Genin just yet... perhaps it was time to test them in the third shinōbi discipline – Genjutsu.

He shunshined on top of a tree close to his students and wove a simple, one-layered illusion over Naruto. The blond should prove to be the most receptive victim for this subtle art. What came next was just like a scene from a movie. The rational part of Kakashi told him that there had been a very good reason why he had curbed his sadism in the past.

Team 7 was in the middle of a three-way sparring match, and the Genjutsu had just shown Naruto how the Uchiha completely gutted their pink-haired teammate with his ninja-to. In reality it was only a small scratch... still, the blond didn't know that.

"Bastard! Why did you do that?"

"?"

"_Why_?"

"What do you mean, _dobe_?"

Kakashi watched the events unfold and observed how an enraged Naruto sprinted toward Sasuke with the sole intent of killing him. He reasoned that the blond had only been further angered when the Uchiha acted clueless.

The two fought for a bit and Kakashi even uncovered his Sharingan to glimpse more of the abilities of his students. He noticed how Sasuke's eyes were opened wide as Naruto came on to him like a juggernaut, clearly aiming for vital areas.

Sakura stood by helpless as she watched how the blond maverick – who in his own right had become dear to her – tried to murder her other teammate. Then she applied her common sense and tried to understand what had happened.

She understood... eventually.

"_Kai!_"

Her shout and a rather big pulse of chakra dispelled the Genjutsu on Naruto, who stared in horror as he noticed that Sakura was still alive and that he had just tried to kill his teammate, and – perhaps – friend for nothing.

The assault ceased, but it was a little too late.

His last kunai had been thrown before the illusion was dispelled. It was his hardest and most accurate throw yet – his rage over Sakura's demise had been endless after all – and the kunai sped directly toward Sasuke.

Kakashi nearly cursed himself for his stupid Genjutsu, but then he bore witness to a stroke of luck like no other. His red eye zeroed in on Sasuke.

The Uchiha's eyes had widened nearly comically... he was well aware that he wouldn't be able to deflect the kunai in time, and that the aim and force behind it were truly lethal.

The kunai slowed down. He did too, it seemed.

His synapses started to fire at impossible speeds, processing the incoming pictures at ridiculous rates. Charcoal black eyes turned red and one comma appeared in each of them, spinning madly. He leaned to the side, his body barely catching up with his eyes.

A thunderous thud resounded next to him, ringing in his ears. The kunai was buried hilt-deep into the branch. Kakashi leaned back again and uttered a sigh of relief. He thanked his lucky stars for the timely activation of Sasuke's Sharingan. That was a development even he hadn't seen coming.

The next minutes were filled with honest and sincere apologies from Naruto after Sakura had calmed both of them down and explained just what had happened to them.

A strange feeling came upon Kakashi. It swelled in his chest as he watched the pink-haired girl teaching both boys how to counter illusions, going so far as to cast a harmless one on them so they could dispel it.

Was it pride he felt? How strange... warranted though, most definitely.

Kakashi wasn't a bad teacher. He was simply... _unique_.

Should the other Jōnin discover his draconian training methods though, they'd probably institutionalize him.

He thought back to his father's words and to the information he had subtly gathered about the other Genin teams currently active in Konoha.

_Yes, results couldn't be argued with..._

* * *

"Water..." Naruto gasped out laboriously.

He took in every gulp of air he could. His chest, hands, and feet hurt – his head even more so. All thanks to one single man who could have just as well be called a demon.

"Get it yourself," Sasuke replied just as exhausted.

Naruto turned his head around and took in the weary form of the Uchiha lying next to him. "Stream's too far away."

"Your Jutsu, _dobe_... you're the _Suitōn_ user here."

The Uzumaki tried to gather the necessary energy, but failed miserably. "No chakra left."

"As if I'd believe that," Sasuke said and narrowed his eyes. "Use it. I'm thirsty."

The blond's head moved a bit. "I tell you, asshole. I can't. No chakra means no chakra. Besides, I think _he_ broke my left hand."

"I swear, if you two don't shut the fuck up right now, I'll rip your balls off and stuff them down your throats. _He_ can come back any moment!"

"Who is _he_?"

A painfully familiar voice echoed behind Sakura, and a shiver ran down her spine. There, in all his perverted glory, stood Hatake Kakashi – Butcher of Konoha, Fang of Vengeance, Bane of his Genin. His eye was curved in a smile.

"Ah well, it doesn't matter anyway," Kakashi told them. "Your time here is up. For the next two weeks I planned a few nice exercises... mock missions, if you will."

"Will we ever get the chance to go home?"

"Of course! One could get the idea that you think I'm withholding basic necessities from you."

"..."

Kakashi shook his head. "Now, don't be like that. You'll like it, I'm sure."

The three looked skeptical and in the end it was Naruto who stepped forward, tentatively asking the pertinent question Kakashi had waited for. "What exactly have you planned?"

"Here are three scrolls, each containing the instructions for one target. Your task is easy. Infiltrate the places, get me what I want – small things, don't worry – and in two weeks I'll come to see if you managed it."

"... and we can go home?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Well, if you want you could always stay here... no? Damn shame, but, well, do your best. I doubt you'll see me in the next two weeks at all. So good luck."

The Jōnin vanished in a swirl of leaves, leaving three befuddled Genin behind who quickly marched out of the forest, finally making it to their respective homes after 4 ½ months.

* * *

Coming home after having been away for over four months was a strange experience. One he hadn't made before.

The distinct smell of stale air assaulted Naruto's nose as he opened the door to his small but comfortable two-room apartment. It had a small sleeping room with his bed – a western style one – a sitting room with a coffee table, an adjacent bathroom and the built-in kitchen.

His plants were there, too, of course. It wasn't much, and Elite Jōnin like his sensei probably lived far better than him, but it was _home_.

Naruto walked over to the window and opened it to let in the fresh air his apartment desperately needed. There were still a few things he had to accomplish before he could finally surrender himself to the soothing embrace of sleep.

Naruto chuckled. A few months ago, he'd probably would have chosen to ignore everything of importance...

Now though, he'd like to think that the time spent with his team, sensei, and even with the devious head adviser had made him more responsible, if only a bit. Possibly more mature, too, but that was debatable.

As the water for his beloved noodles cooked on the stove, he went into his bedroom and quickly changed the nearly six month old sheets. After Kakashi's hellish training, he was actually giddy to take a warm shower later and then simply laze around in his freshly made bed.

First things first though...

He walked over to his beloved Ukki, the plant his surrogate grandfather had gifted him as a consolation prize after he failed his first exam, and watered it.

"_A shinōbi is to be responsible... on and off the battlefield. That also includes trying your best at the task your instructors set you. Don't worry though – I have the perfect way to help you."_

"_You do? Sweet!"_

_The Sandaime walked into a room separated from his office and returned with a small bonsai. "You might not believe me now, but this plant is essential for you to learn responsibility." _

_Sarutobi saw the lack of understanding in the young boy's face and elaborated, "Consider it a secret training exercise from my clan... care for it, and I am sure that soon enough you'll receive your first mission from me."_

Naruto grinned as he remembered how upset he had been at first. He had seriously thought his Jiji was yanking his chain. In the end though, the old man had been right just like always. Only now did he start to understand what his grandfather had wanted to teach him. Ukki had been – and hopefully always will be – a delightful companion.

Despite her being a plant.

Then again, at the time the Hokage confronted him with the plant, Naruto hadn't even known what the word responsibility meant. He had looked it up later on, and was rather disappointed to discover that it wasn't a super secret technique.

After Ukki had been watered, he sat down and filled the boiling water into his cup of ramen.

He frowned. Something was missing... being home just didn't feel the same anymore.

* * *

It was a rare moment of absolute contentment. Sasuke let himself go and uttered a satisfied sigh.

_Silence_.

Beautiful, untarnished silence. No fan-girls, no losers, no sadistic sensei... just _him_. Him and his beloved tomatoes. It was glorious. Well, it was as glorious as it could be with Itachi still among the living...

… and it felt strange.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and viciously stabbed a tomato slice with his chopstick. He held it close to his face, absently noticing the red juice dribbling off it and into the bowl of rice on the table below.

Why did he feel strange though? By all accounts he should be happy. It was puzzling.

Sasuke found that he didn't like puzzles... even if he was clearly superior in solving them, being an Uchiha and all.

A thought sparked through his mind and he growled. He knew the feeling... had felt it once before – in Ground 44. For a moment he sat silently and stared blankly at the tomato. Then he violently cursed the Hatake and his thrice-damned teachings about teamwork.

The bastard had done it... had really managed to corrupt him.

Him! An _Uchiha_!

Sasuke groaned. This was the last thing he needed in his life right now: stressful attachments and the unnecessary fear of being alone. A small part of his mind had to acknowledged the superiority of the Jōnin's tactics though...

If the two weeks together in the forest hadn't forged some bonds, then the last 1 ½ month sure as hell did. Even before that, they had shared a mutual bond of suffering and pain under the man's oppression.

He damned his sensei to hell for making him feel this way. He had become so used to the constant presence of his teammates that it simply felt strange being away from them.

* * *

Sakura put her ruined sandals next to the doormat and lifted it slightly, easily finding the key her father had hidden beneath it. She rolled her eyes as she inserted it into the keyhole and opened the door.

Even an academy student could break the basic lock they had – not to mention what a dedicated shinōbi could do – and she had told him that numerous times before. In the end it didn't matter though. Her father was nothing of not set in his beliefs, be they good or bad for the village. Nothing she could say would ever change his outlook on life.

She walked by a picture of the grand-parents she had never met and smiled sadly. She hadn't been born yet, when they had been ambushed by shinōbi and her father decided that a village full of those would be the safest place for his family.

It made sense from a certain point of view... reverse logic, she supposed.

Sometimes she wondered if her father had simply let go of all his hatred for shinōbi, the deceiving shadows who killed without remorse. It would make him a far greater man than she believed him to be.

A sad statement if there ever was one. She knew that this was unlikely, and that her father probably hid his distaste, letting it fester inside of him.

Sakura frowned when she thought back. She certainly hadn't helped matters along with her wish to join the academy. Especially that shortly after her mother, Mebuki, had died in Suna during _another_ ambush.

She was still suspicious about that one. Who killed a civilian on one Suna's markets who had only been sight-seeing?

Her father would never understand why she became a shinōbi – to clear once and for all who murdered her mother.

Sakura still remembered his furious expression after she had told him of her wish. That evening she had cried herself to sleep, and – curiously enough – on the next morning her father acted as if nothing had happened at all.

He had accepted her wish and enrolled her in the academy...

… and it had symbolized the end of their father-daughter relationship as she knew it.

Sakura sighed and walked deeper into the house. It was empty as usual. Since that morning her father rarely came home, opting instead to stay at his office to direct the rising economical might of their civilian clan.

Had it been under different circumstances, she would have been proud of he father for making him so invaluable to the rich and powerful of Konoha.

She walked over to the kitchen table and dejectedly noticed a small satchel filled with coins.

It was the usual amount he left behind whenever he intended to remain in the office for a week or longer. Perhaps that was his way of caring... but, sometimes, she felt that it simply wasn't enough. Sakura knew how ungrateful she was, especially considering the lives of her teammates, but she dearly missed her father.

The man who once upon a time had put her on his shoulders and told tales about his long travels on the roads that cut the Elemental Countries.

She remembered the words of her demonic sensei and the frown on her face eased somewhat. The Jōnin was right, she supposed: Team 7 was now more of a family than her father had ever been since she became a shinōbi.

* * *

"Have you found something?" Sasuke asked.

"No guards... just like the scroll said. This stinks," commented the blond.

Sakura looked at her teammates and nodded. "Agreed, this is far too easy. _He_ would never make it this simple..."

Naruto scratched his chin – first blond stubble had crept up randomly over the last months – and peered into the darkness that surrounded the old warehouse. "You're right. Especially not if he only gave us three targets for the next two weeks. If that's all we have to accomplish, then we'd be done in one or two days."

"_Dobe_'s right," Sasuke said and shifted his weight slightly. "This reeks of deception."

"_Reeks of deception_?" Naruto asked, taking offense at the word dobe. "Who'd say something like that, asshole?"

"I said-"

"Stop it. Both of you. Sasuke, what's the target again?"

The Uchiha grumbled a few words of choice under his breath, but relented after seeing the stare of his pink-haired teammate. "A bell. All three targets are bells."

"At least that rules out that he really wants to betray the village. He can't do much with bells."

Sakura nodded. "True. I'd be far more suspicious if it were scrolls or something like that. Only an idiot would steal a scroll from his own village; commands from a superior be damned."

"... anyway," Naruto interrupted smoothly; the discussions had gone into a direction he wasn't exactly comfortable with. "We can't do much besides walking in and getting the bell that way. Sensei taught us nothing that would help in such a situation."

"_Hn_."

Naruto smirked. "Let's do it then. Bastard concurs."

The resulting shove he received from the Uchiha sent him flying from the branch they sat on, but didn't unbalance him enough not to be able to catch himself. Naruto leaped between the branches and saw his teammates follow until all three Genin of Team 7 stood behind the warehouse, concealed by the shadows of the night.

* * *

"Sensei underestimates us," Sakura huffed in annoyance.

Two bells were already tied to her utility belt.

In the last two days Team 7 had raided two of the three warehouses, both of which hadn't been defended at all besides some minor traps. It irked them more than they would ever admit, but they couldn't shake the feeling that Kakashi was severely underestimating their skills.

… which was strange in itself.

"Maybe that's his way to give us a vacation?" Naruto asked rhetorically. "I mean, come on... this is pathetic."

"I don't care. Let's get the last bell and finish this _mission_," Sasuke said, carelessly spinning a shuriken on his finger.

The three Genin entered the warehouse and after not even seeing the minor traps that had protected the previous ones, marched straight to the backside and took the bell. Sakura quickly tied it to her belt, too.

"... I don't get it. Kakashi's like the devil with training. Why make us do this stupid stuff for some bells?" Naruto asked.

_Rustle._

The Uzumaki's ears twitched when he heard a noise that definitely hadn't been made by his teammates.

"Cover. Fast," he whispered harshly.

They quickly hid behind some crates waiting for something to happen, when Sasuke too heard a sound he knew all too well.

_Sizzle._

"Oh sh-"

Then all hell broke loose.

A small explosion – undoubtedly caused by a level one _Kibakufuda –_ sent the Uchiha flying and had Naruto not reacted as fast as he did in catching him, then Sasuke would've been impaled by the dozens of shuriken now littering the floor.

Sakura landed next to them and fended off another salve of projectiles with a kunai, letting those that weren't on direct impact course with her teammates fly by.

"Who the hell-"

_Clang._

"... rigs traps like this?"

"You know _who_," Naruto grunted.

He covered the pink-haired girl as best as he could with his own thrown shuriken, intercepting the incoming projectiles.

_Sizzle_.

"Seriously? _Ninp__ō –__ Kawarimi no Jutsu._"

They escaped major damage, but still weren't fast enough to completely evade the blast – this one considerably larger than the last one. Sasuke looked at the singed hem of his shirt and frowned.

_Damn Kakashi..._

"Is this..."

Sakura's frightened voice brought him out of his vengeful thoughts and he quickly turned around, blanching when he saw what had alerted her. The tag in front of them – hanging from the ceiling on a thin wire – was glowing blue, the kanji on it clearly visible.

Neither Sasuke, nor Sakura were masters of Fuinjutsu. Hell, they weren't even novices... but it wasn't all that hard to interpret a tag with the word _Kat__ō__n_ written on it.

"_Dobe_?" Sasuke hissed frantically.

"On it," Naruto replied, racing through hand seals. "_Suit__ō__n – Semai Mizushuuha_."

The blond's seal sequence ended with the _Tori_ seal and a stream of water shot toward the _Katōn_ tag, meeting the suddenly erupting torrents of fire head-on. Beads of sweat rolled down his brow, and not for the first time did Naruto wonder why this technique, which was by nature only a D-Ranked _Suitōn_ Jutsu, took that much effort and taxed his reserves more than ten _Kawarimi_ combined.

The stream of fire still hadn't ended, but Naruto noticed that his water slowly but surely pushed it back. "What the hell is this? Bastard, you're the pyromaniac here..."

Sasuke edged closer to the now nearly extinguished fire. "I'd say it's the _Chiisai Endan_. Should be D-Ranked like your Jutsu."

The pink-haired girl watched the proceedings absently and narrowed her eyes. Again, Naruto had used a Suitōn technique without any source of water nearby. To her finely tuned senses the amount of chakra he had poured into it stood out like a beacon.

Before she could contemplate things further though, Sakura saw her teammates slump to the ground.

Then, darkness claimed her, too.

* * *

When Sakura woke up, she instantly noticed that she was bound to something with shinōbi grade wire – in a way that not even the _Nawanuke no Jutsu_ would help her to escape. Next to her, she heard the even breathing of two males approximately her age.

_Naruto and Sasuke..._

She slowly opened her eyes, but immediately closed them again. The picture was simply too horrid.

All three Genin of Team 7 were bound to stumps while Kakashi sat in front of them, his lone eye observing them calculatingly.

He didn't look pleased.

"That... was disappointing," Kakashi began as soon as Naruto and Sasuke had regained their consciousness. "Never, and I mean absolutely _never_ become complacent on a mission."

"Ugh... ne, Kakashi-sensei, did you knock us out?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi negated the question with a shake of his head. "No. Senbon coated in non-lethal, paralytic poison knocked you out."

He gave them the silent treatment for a few minutes, letting them fidget in their bindings, before he continued, "I arranged this for a reason. Each mission is potentially vital for the village... carelessly approaching an objective just because the two before that were easy won't cut it."

Then he sighed and amended, "At least you showed some teamwork... that's probably the only good thing that came out of this exercise."

Kakashi rose from his seated position and stretched. "_Ma_, you failed unfortunately, and we still have a few days left until your original deadline for these mock missions is over... as punishment, you'll have to get out of these bindings yourself. Tomorrow... tomorrow we're going to start remedial training."

Sasuke frowned. "Remedial training?"

"Exactly," Kakashi declared happily. "Powerful techniques and superior Taijutsu won't do anything for you if you lack common sense... something you demonstrated quite clearly yesterday night. Well, I'm off. _Ya ne_."

* * *

Remedial training – as Team 7 soon learned – wasn't just more boring than Iruka's lessons at the academy... it was also more exhausting.

Having freed themselves a few hours after their sensei left, they had speculated about what Kakashi would teach them – mostly thinking of refining their basics like the _Kawarimi, Bunshin, Nawanuke _and_ Henge_.

Kakashi though had a vastly different idea and took great pleasure in telling his team that the training would consist of lessons about village-, and mission-protocols: in cases of emergencies as well as day to day occurrences, on how to correctly fill out the necessary paperwork for anything that might come their way eventually, on Konoha's basic hierarchy, and on some of the building and structures that should be known to every shinōbi rank Genin and upwards.

Those buildings were mostly hidden supply stores though. Anything else was still above their pay-grade.

It wouldn't have been too bad, even if slightly sleep-inducing, if their sensei hadn't had the brilliant plan to further use that time to train up their endurance, stamina and control.

No, none of the three Genin could say that it was fun to answer questions and discuss such boring topics while doing crunches – hanging from a tree and with several leaves stuck to their brows.

"Standard protocol for identification of foreign shinōbi seen in the village?" Kakashi asked after noticing that Naruto had completed another two hundred crunches.

"Asking for their papers and their purpose in the village. If they check out, let them pass; if they are suspicious, inform your immediate superior; should they be unable to identify themselves, apprehend them," Naruto answered, gasping.

Kakashi nodded. "Correct," he said. "Sakura, who is the quartermaster of Konoha regarding Genin level seal tags, and where else can you buy them?"

Sakura huffed, her face red in exhaustion. "The quartermaster is Ozayo Kenshin, Special Jōnin. If issued a writ by a Jōnin-sensei, he will equip a Genin with the appropriate seals free of charge. Other supply stores don't need orders from a sensei, but you have to pay there. They can be found next to the hospital, near each gate, next to the academy and in the basement of the Hokage Tower."

"Good work. Very precise. Sasuke, you're next. How do you formally ask for a promotion?"

"Ask for the paperwork and fill in the dotted lines..."

"... and fifty more crunches for everyone, my cute little minions. Now, the right answer?"

The glares Sasuke received from his teammates spurred him on to answer correctly this time, "Submit the necessary papers, including the recommendation of your superior..."

Sasuke hastily did another crunch, barely evading a kunai Kakashi had thrown before he continued, "... afterward the request will be reviewed by the Hokage and a small panel of judges. If the promotion is merited, the shinōbi will then be tested in every aspect of the shinōbi arts that have a bearing on his new rank."

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Kakashi smiled cheerfully. "Naruto, you're up again. Tell me about the different divisions of Konoha's shinōbi force."

"Do I have to?" Naruto asked, but the five shuriken his sensei spun lazily around each finger made him reconsider his original course of action. "Well, there are seven divisions..."

"Which are?" The Hatake's eye gleamed evilly.

Naruto gulped. "The _Jinmon Butai_ takes care of gathering intelligence through torture and interrogation. _Jōhōbu_ is responsible for getting information outside of the village, as well as spreading counter-intelligence. The _Jinmon Butai _and _Jōhōbu_ work closely together."

"Correct. That's two... Sasuke?"

The Uchiha sighed. "The third division, _Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai_, for short ANBU, is way above our clearance. _Eisei Butai_, the medical corps, are led by the head of the hospital – Elite Jōnin Yakushi. They're responsible for taking care of Konoha's general state of health, as well as providing trained Iryō-nin for critical missions."

"And that leaves the last three for Sakura..."

"_Ningu Kenkyūsho_, the research division, is split in many sub groups developing different things – new weapons, new seals, or whatever the village needs. The largest division, the regular military, consists of the usual four man cells undertaking various missions that don't fall into the categories of the other divisions."

"The last one? Come on, Sakura, you're nearly finished," Kakashi actually laughed when he peppered them with another wave of shuriken, this time multiplied by the _Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_.

Sasuke, who noticed that his pink-haired teammate was fighting to stay conscious, volunteered the answer in a rare moment of compassion. The girl might have been annoying once, but training herself to the brink of chakra exhaustion... that was something he could respect.

"The Reserves aren't really an acknowledged division, but they're large in numbers. Shinōbi who are no longer fit for field duty due to injuries or age, are given positions within the village which need a certain level of clearance."

The silver-haired Jōnin nodded once and clapped his hands together. "You're done for the day and this marks the end of your remedial training. Take some time to relax and we'll meet up again tomorrow."

Kakashi jumped away, but Sasuke couldn't care less for the enigmatic Jōnin. The moment the training had ended, he saw that Sakura finally lost her battle against consciousness.

A small puff of smoke on her feet, indicating the dispersion of chakra, was all the incentive he needed. Sasuke pushed himself away from the branch he had anchored his feet to, and leaped after her, catching her shortly before both of them hit the ground in a tumbling mess.

Naruto landed next to them in a crouch. "You okay, Bastard?"

"_Hn_. Caught her."

"Let's go. I need a shower," Naruto said, taking Sakura from the Uchiha and carefully placing her on his back.

Sasuke wanted to follow, when his left leg suddenly gave away.

_Damn it, must have fallen on it..._

Another try brought the same result and the Uchiha cursed, reconciling himself with the fact that he'd have to sleep in the training ground tonight. He was surprised though, when the arm of his blond teammate reached out to his shoulder and steadied his exhausted body.

"Shit! Where do you live, Bastard?"

"... near my clan's old district."

_He wouldn't thank the blond menace. He wouldn't._

"_Kami_, that's like miles away – completely different side of Konoha," Naruto replied and took another look at his two barely conscious teammates. "Come on, you can crash in my place. It's not too far away. Think you can manage till then?"

"Hn."

_He wouldn't thank him..._

For those who cared to look it was a curious sight: three bruised, battered, and exhausted Genin marched through Konoha supporting themselves as if they were one person. More than one citizen of the village wondered what kind of mission they must have undertaken to look like that.

"Naruto?"

"Mhh?" The blond looked up surprised. That was the first time he had heard Sasuke used his name.

Sasuke's lips twitched upward. "If you snore... I'll kill you. _Slowly_."

_He wouldn't thank him..._

… _but he was thankful nonetheless_.

* * *

**AN:** That marks the end of the 5th chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. My main aim this time was not to establish their skills, or explain character changes... but to strengthen the bonds between each member of Team 7.

I wonder how many of you actually like Kakashi in his instructor role now. He's a character that sparks a lot of conflict in fanon after all.

**Used Jutsu:**

_Ninp__ō – __Kawarimi no Jutsu _: E-Rank. Substitution/Replacement Technique.

_Suit__ō__n – Semai Mizushuuha _: D-Rank. Small stream of water.

_Kat__ō__n – Chiisai Endan _: D-Ranked. Small stream of fire (In this chapter used as a seal).

_Ninp__ō__ – Nawanuke no Jutsu _: E-Ranked. Rope-escape technique (In this chapter only mentioned).

**7 Divisions of Konoha:**

I included it in the 'remedial training' part, but I think a short overview won't hurt.

#1._ Jinmon Butai_ – Intelligence and Torture inside Konoha

_#2. Jōhōbu _–Intelligence network outside of Konoha

#3. _Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai –_ ANBU/Black Ops ('nuff said)

#4. _Eisei Butai –_ Medical Corps (Established after Tsunade vanished)

#5. _Ningu Kenkyūsho –_ Research Department with various sub-groups

#6. _The Regular Military_ – Genin, Chūnin, and Jōnin who don't fall in the categories 1-5

#7. _The Reserves_ – Shinōbi who can't serve in the field anymore due to various reasons, but have the necessary clearance to staff important desk jobs in the village.


	6. VI - A Shower For The Soul

Yey, another chapter finished. Theoretically I should feel bad, because the time it took to write this could have been spent studying for the exams that start in a week... but, now that the idea for this chapter is finally written down and out of my mind, I can hopefully fully concentrate on my studies.

My major (I think it's called major in English) is actually English. Now, many of you might not believe me, but it's true... I try the impossible and want to become a boring teacher hehe. Anyway, if you find mistakes... that's because I only take the course Advanced Grammar next semester :P (I'm more than just overworked with British history and phonetics/phonology...)

Now I'm rambling though... enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**Team 7's Ascension**

_Written by Eilyfe_

**Chapter VI - A Shower For The Soul**

* * *

The rustling and shuffling of paper could be heard in the highest, most guarded room of the Hokage Tower – the Sandaime's office. It was accompanied by a rueful sigh as he shifted a few scrolls to the left and still didn't find the important papers he needed.

Why was it always the crucial paperwork that suddenly remained illusive? It was something he had to check in on soon – his paranoid mind wouldn't let him sleep in peace otherwise.

Sarutobi glanced to the corners of his office. On a day such as this, his ANBU protection detail knew not to disturb him unduly. It was a good feeling to know that Konoha still had such disciplined shinōbi, especially in these trying times.

_Clang._

The two Chūnin he had hired as glorified secretaries however knew nothing of such restrain. Without wasting any thoughts about their Kage's misery, they continued to shovel mountains of his worst enemy into his office.

It was mind boggling that he'd even prefer a political discussion with the Tsuchikage over his menial duties in peacetime. Alas, there was no way around it. Sarutobi was about to gently tell the Chūnin that their over-eagerness wasn't nearly as appreciated as they thought...

_Clang._

… when the door was opened a second time.

"You wished to speak with me, Sandaime-sama?"

Kakashi had entered the office right behind the two Chūnin and suddenly stood in front of Sarutobi's desk. His stance was aloof and his orange book was safely secured in the breast pocket of his Jōnin-vest.

That alone was a reason for the Hokage to narrow his eyes slightly. A swift glance toward the clock told him even more – the Jōnin was punctual, something that hadn't happened since his last S-ranked mission a few years ago.

It wasn't an imposter, however. Sarutobi had extended his senses the second Kakashi entered the room, and it's been a long time since his senses were easy to fool.

That left only two possible explanations: either his scolding during their last meeting had affected the Jōnin more than Sarutobi anticipated – which wasn't nearly as probable as the wizened Kage would like it to be – or Team 7 had actually managed to somewhat pull the Hatake out of his funk.

That, too, would be unexpected... but with the composition of said team not impossible.

"Indeed," Sarutobi said at last and snapped his fingers, indicating for the hidden ANBU and the two Chūnin to leave.

_Silence..._

"Can you guess why I called for you?"

Kakashi needed barely a second to think things through – there was only one issue the Hokage needed to discuss at the moment. "If it isn't a high-profile mission, that just leaves _my_ team."

Sarutobi suppressed a smile and cleared his throat – that _my_ had sounded more than just a tad possessive. Then he answered, "Team 7... you're right. Tell me, how are they now?"

The Hatake took a moment to ponder the current strengths and weaknesses of his team. "I concentrated on the basics for the most part..."

"There's no one else in the room, Kakashi. I haven't given you that much time for a few _basics. _Speak clearly."

"_Mah_... the foundations I drilled into them should easily make them available for C- and B-ranked missions," Kakashi replied, justly proud of his team – even though they'd never know it. "In the next month I planned to expand their Jutsu repertoire... that should easily make them eligible to take on most Chūnin – with teamwork, even a weak Jōnin."

The scarecrow looked at his leader after he had finished his explanation and sighed. "I take it the last month won't happen exactly as I planned it? Excuse my directness, Sandaime-sama, but the only reason why you'd inquire about them one month early would be if there's some trouble ahead."

"... and you would be right in making such an assumption," said the wizened man, after exhaling a few puffs of smoke that now trailed through the air. "The graduation class of Team 7... is very special, in more than one regard. Naturally, with so many heirs in one class, everyone is interested in the teams that have been formed."

"Political pressure?" Kakashi asked.

Sarutobi smiled grimly as he answered, "Not political per se... but Konoha as a whole has taken an interest in those Genin – more and more, the continuous absence of your Team starts to confuse not only the civilians, but the shinōbi as well."

"Not a good thing, I take it?"

"It wouldn't be so bad if Naruto wasn't on the team. Prejudice is a vicious snake though, and already I've heard of rumors that blame him for the team's absence..."

Kakashi groaned. "The whole matter gets even worse because his teammates are the last Uchiha and Haruno's daughter, of course."

"Exactly. Reputation is a fickle thing, and Naruto's is bad already. There's no need to add to his burdens with something like this."

"What's the verdict then? I don't believe you'll pull Naruto from Team 7, Sandaime-sama."

"Indeed. I won't," Sarutobi answered. "During the next month, Team 7 will simply do what every other Genin squad had to do – D-ranked missions. I will make sure that the ones you get include high visibility in the village. Your overarching goal is to show presence, to make sure that no one believes in those rumors about Naruto."

"They're over-qualified for D-ranks," Kakashi replied sullenly, already uncomfortable with how his team would take it.

"That's irrelevant. You'll do them."

"Hai."

"... and don't be so glum, Kakashi," the Sandaime said with a teasing smile. "You can still teach them in the afternoons and evenings. If you manage over twenty-five D-ranks in the next month, then you get C- and B-ranks afterward."

* * *

Kakashi had assembled his team on the eve of the same day, as the sun slowly started its descend and made way for the moon to rise. The Genin stood at attention, stoic expressions plastered over their faces as they faced the large fence of Ground 44.

The large, dark trees rustled ominously in the wind, and all three suppressed the shivers that threatened to surface. The place was a a cruel one – reigned by brutality and filled with misery – and even after all that time spent training in it, they hadn't become used to it.

Rather, every time it looked as if they had become accustomed to the large area, their Jōnin-sensei had reminded them harshly that in the world of shinōbi, _might made indeed right_. Again and again he showed them why the forest had been aptly titled the _Forest of Death_.

The Hatake had pounded that point into their skulls rather forcefully.

Kakashi, like any other shinōbi who had served under the veil of ANBU, had a darker side in his soul – and if you wanted to make it through alive, you learned to accept it. It was not known widely, perhaps only to Gai, Inoichi, and the Hokage... but Kakashi's soul was darker than most others.

Brutality, brief glimpses of insanity and sadism, chained and bound by a personal creed and the village's rules.

In rare moments of clarity though, when the darkness receded – if only for a few hours – he was honest enough with himself to recognize why he trained Team 7 as harsh as he did. The loss of his sensei, of Obito, of Rin... it had broken him, worsened his already bad mental state after the suicide of his father even more.

He let his gaze wander over his charges and to them unknown emotions flickered through his eye.

These moments of clarity... he experienced them more often now; and, with this insight, his fondness of his Genin grew.

_Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke_... if they died too, Kakashi acknowledged, perhaps he would follow in his father's footsteps then.

Although Konoha always preached about teamwork, there were some who believed Kakashi's creed to never abandon your comrades nothing but an empty phrase he used to honor the dead. They couldn't be more wrong.

He had a team again. His clarity of mind slowly returned... and he swore himself that he'd never let anyone of them die as long as he was still alive and kicking.

Kakashi had steeled them. He had molded and formed them... not into elite warriors, that would come later, but into survivors.

And he would continue to do so to the best of his abilities, because in his mind – twisted after years of bloodshed and danger – he knew that he too would die if he lost any of them, not by his Kage's hand, but by his own.

His thinking went against the shinōbi code, but he didn't give a rat's ass. Team 7 wouldn't die. They would become a group so strong, so cohesive... his thoughts momentarily floundered, then he picked up the trail and continued with his contemplation.

Kakashi never noticed that this time, his Genin could identify the emotion in his eye. It surprised them, because the thousand-yard stare lost its coldness and had suddenly gained a bit more warmth.

They would become _family_ – scarred as they were – at least to each other, Kakashi decided.

… and perhaps, there was also place for a fourth person in such a family; place for him, a man who needed healing desperately.

It was Naruto who started fidgeting first, after another fifteen minutes went by and nothing was said. Old habits died hard, even though the blond had curbed them to an incredible degree already.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, what's our plan for the next month?" Naruto asked.

The Hatake had nearly forgotten that he was still in the presence of his Genin, but quickly concealed his surprise at being addressed. "Well... originally I planned for each of you to learn a new Jutsu, further your basics even more, and spar with you until you puke from exhaustion," he replied cheerfully.

"Originally?" Sasuke inquired. A new technique sounded good to him, but his sensei seemed to have some reservations.

"Hai, _originally_," Kakashi repeated. "The Hokage has another plan though."

"You've met Hokage-jiji? What did he want?"

"... Team 7 is forced to complete one D-rank mission a day for the next month. I drilled the village rules into you, so you know what that means."

Neither the lone girl, nor the two boys on the team were happy with that order. In plain terms it meant that the Hokage had ordered them to shovel shit, carry groceries and build fences during the next thirty days.

Had the order come directly after they left the academy, they probably wouldn't have fussed so much... but now they had five months of soul-crushing and murderous training behind them – all that, it seemed, for missions which weren't important in the least.

D-ranks... menial tasks at best.

Naruto looked at the Jōnin and frowned. The only thing he could discern from his sensei's face was that he looked just as glum and equally disturbed by the notion.

"But why?" Sakura asked, quickly quieting down though after noticing how impertinent that sounded. "I mean, weren't we given the six month period to become strong enough for C-ranks?"

Kakashi saw that Sasuke nodded at the question of his female teammate, and the Jōnin sighed before explaining, "It's not really the shinōbi way to question the orders from our Kage... but I guess you've got the right to know why the sudden change of plans."

He then looked at Naruto. "It also concerns a secret that still stands between this team," Kakashi said, surprisingly gentle. "These missions are for us to show presence in the village. Our prolonged absence has been noticed by a lot of people and there are certain rumors spreading, especially as this is a team with such prodigious heirs."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He didn't like the sound of that. His gaze wandered over to his male teammate. He had always been somewhat observant... it definitely hadn't escaped him that while not outright shunned, Naruto was largely ignored by Konoha.

… and that not with the usual type of ignoring someone, but with a cold, dismissive kind. Something, a few pranks, no matter how grand, could have caused.

"Rumors?" he asked. "What kind of rumors?"

"Certain elements of Konoha think that Naruto is a bad influence on the team and probably has done unspeakable things to you... just rumors, of course, but damaging nonetheless."

Sakura looked stunned after receiving that information and walked over to Naruto who's eyes were directed to the ground. He looked incredibly dejected by the news. She had never thought she'd do something like this for the blond – at least when she was still in the academy – but very gently, she took his hand in hers and made him look up.

"What is this secret Naruto? Why do the people in Konoha think so badly about you?"

"Hn... don't be scared _dobe_," Sasuke added his two cent from behind Sakura. The word dobe spoken more teasingly than anything else. "We've known you for years, even more since the academy... whatever it is, it won't send us running."

Naruto looked up in surprise at his teammates' proclamations, but then gulped when the thought about how he'd tell them.

"... during the night of my birthday, something happened in Konoha. Something big..."

"Your birth-" then Sakura stopped her sentence abruptly and became silent.

Her grip strengthened around his hand though. She was the foremost expert on their team when it came to academics and had spent years of her life behind musty old tomes... she had read the term jinchuriki more than once in her research about the Elemental Nation's histories and knew what it meant. In combination with Naruto's birthday... it made sense.

A frightening amount of sense, to be honest.

How could they've been so naive to believe that a single person, no matter if it was the Yondaime or not, had been able to kill the Kyuubi. How could she, a person who prided herself on her intellect, not have noticed the connections before?

Pity welled up in her, but she squashed the feeling. Pity wouldn't help Naruto. Compassion instead... compassion and understanding... in one move, she threw her arms around the blond and gave him a hug that crushed the living daylight out of him.

Sasuke took a bit longer to comprehend the whole thing. First – and somehow he felt like a dick for it – he had to remember when the blonde's birthday was. After that, and only after that, did he connect the date with some obscure references about jinchuriki he had read in the Uchiha archives.

His expression froze momentarily as he ran scenarios through his head.

As he spoke, his voice was completely neutral. "Is it a good seal? Will it hold the Kyuubi at bay?"

Kakashi was the one who decided to answer that question. "It is, and it will. The Yondaime wasn't just Konoha's premier seal master, but arguably the best seal inventor in the whole Elemental Nations. There have been many jinchurikis in the past, but none of them could boast with a seal even a quarter as good as the one Naruto has on his stomach."

"That's all I needed to know," Sasuke said, and his expression eased considerably.

He was surprised to find that Sakura had glared at him after he had asked the question. Sasuke shrugged and replied to her nonverbal reprimand, "Naruto's no demon, we know that already. I was just concerned whether or not the Kyuubi could influence him in the future."

"He can't," confirmed Kakashi. "Naruto gets more chakra and healing abilities, but the seal is airtight when it comes to shielding him from the biju's influence."

"Well, then that's cleared. Naruto is Naruto." Sasuke finished his statement and crossed his arms in a relaxed manner.

"... and the villagers think..." Sakura began hesitantly.

"They think he's bewitching you, or torturing you, or whatever they can come up with. The rumors aren't wide-spread yet, luckily, but that's the reason why we're going on very public D-ranks from tomorrow morning onward."

Kakashi gave each of them a rare, true smile. "Show them that you've got no problems with Naruto. That you're normal and most of all that you trust him – rumors without fertilizer..."

"... are just mad ravings after all," Sasuke finished the sentence. Then he noticed that his teammates, and even Kakashi was staring at him.

"What?" He asked defensively. "... my father used to say that."

"Ah, that explains it," commented Kakashi. "It was one of Minato-sensei's favorite sayings. Makes sense that your father picked it up when he was on the same team."

Naruto, who had been silent so far – being quite a bit shocked by the easy acceptance – smiled. "Thank you, guys," he said, smiling gratefully.

Telling his team about his secret, his burden... it had been the stuff of his nightmares. His imagination had come up with so many ways on how they would reject him, that the possibility of their acceptance had never even crossed his mind.

His _mind..._ well, it was figuratively blown at the moment.

Then he remembered their current location and looked at his Jōnin-sensei. He was suspicious, even though Kakashi had really helped him out with his explanation of the seal.

"Why are we in front of Ground 44 though? I thought we have to do the D-ranks till the end of the month."

"Oh, that?" Kakashi asked and grinned. "I just figured you'd like to see it a last time. I mean, it was your home for a while now and you'll probably not see it again for quite some time."

The mean intentions of their sensei went right over their head. All they had heard from his short explanation was _'a last time'_.

"Really, you mean it?" They asked, excitedly.

"Of course I mean it. Have I ever lied to you?"

The blank stares he received in response were just as gratifying as he thought they would be. Hey, he was speaking the truth after all. He never outright lied... he had only misled them a few times.

"So... D-ranks... when will we meet for them?" Sakura asked after the stare-down.

"Eight in the morning. In front of the Hokage Tower," Kakashi replied easily.

_One..._

_Two..._

_Three..._

With glee he mentally counted down and saw the barely hidden relief in his Genin's eyes. His easy grin changed into a malicious smile. "You still won't be going home for the month," he added at an opportune moment when he thought their happiness to be at a peak.

"... I knew it," Naruto grumbled.

"_Hn_."

"Ah, don't be disappointed! There's more... we're still going to train. Isn't that wonderful? D-ranks in the morning and my special course Hatake-style in the afternoon, evening and night."

"Now remember," Kakashi continued. "You don't have to hold your excitement in. Celebrate as much as you want, I won't be angry."

The Genin of Team 7 looked at each other and shook their heads. Kakashi-sensei had way too much fun with this, but sadly, running away wasn't an option. The Jōnin had shown them quite clearly that he could always find them, no matter how far they'd run.

Suddenly three Kakashi's popped up behind them and in perfectly timed swirls of leaves, took them away from the Forest of Death and toward another place.

"Welcome to Ground 12. Your knew home," Kakashi said as soon as they arrived.

Team 7 looked around frantically, expecting to be attacked by gigantic snakes, bears and tigers at any moment, but when nothing happened they relaxed a bit and took stock of their surroundings. There were no deadly animals visible... but this sparsely vegetated wasteland they had landed in wasn't that much better.

It stretched for a few miles in every direction, but wasn't nearly as large as Ground 44. Approximately a mile away from them to the north, they saw a long range of wooden obstacles. It looked like a rather simplistic trainings gauntlet, but they had long learned that appearances could be deceiving.

… especially when it came to their sensei.

"Well, that's it for today. We'll meet tomorrow, and immediately after that you are to return to this ground... as I said, this is your new home."

When their teacher had finally left, they let themselves fall to the ground and their shoulders sacked in relief. They had – in all honesty – expected to run the gauntlet during the night. It seemed as if somewhere beneath that Jōnin-vest, their sensei had a heart buried – unfathomable as it sounded.

"Guys," Sasuke suddenly exclaimed sharply, making his teammates look up in worry. He had the Sharingan activated and scanned the horizon intensely. "There's no water here... absolutely none."

"Nothing at all?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing. Not even a puddle."

Immediately, they realized the deceptive nature of their new _home_. Food and water would become a problem in the coming days, for sure.

* * *

"These D-ranks really are chores," Naruto said tiredly, sitting around a small camp fire they had made with some dry bristles.

It was a few days after Kakashi had sent them into Ground 12, and the search for _wood _alone took most of the night. Sakura, who had taken on that job was glad for every bit of vegetation she found in the barren surroundings.

"_Hn_," Sasuke grunted and bit into his meal... a third of a snake, stuck on a wooden stick and roasted over the open fire. He was the one who had become responsible for getting them food, however disgusting it may be.

After the first fruitless day when they had all gone to sleep hungry, he had sworn to never again take his Sharingan for granted. It was an invaluable tool when it came to finding small animals... even if it were snakes.

As long as it was edible at all... anything went.

Another problem was that they had virtually just the night to hunt, gather, and otherwise survive. During the day, after they finished their missions, Kakashi ran them through the gauntlet that was as horrible and deadly as they had expected it.

Additionally, he watched them like a hawk whenever they were in the village, making sure that none of them dared to buy food or water. Not even the fact that he had promised to teach them a new technique each in the coming days was cheering them up. There simply was nothing cheerful to be found in such a location.

"Naruto/_Dobe_?" his teammates called him after finishing their part of the snake, and Naruto slowly stood up.

"Hai, just a moment..."

He took the several inch long, hollowed-out bark of a tree and carefully put it in front of him. Then, after carefully gauging the amount of chakra, he used his _Semai Mizushuuha_ to fill it with water.

It was a miracle that never ceased to amaze his teammates... how he simply poured tons of chakra into his technique – especially in a dry place like this – and practically made water out of nothing. According to Naruto's own experiences with the technique, he admitted that it cost him less and less chakra with each try, and that the Jutsu slowly started to become easier for him.

After the bark was filled, the Genin of Team 7 greedily drank from it, asking Naruto to refill a few more times during the evening.

That they actually had been able to get the piece of bark was a miracle in its own way. It showed them that even Kakashi was human... because he was so focused on making sure that no one bought food, that he hadn't noticed how Naruto used a kunai when they were in the village to chip the bark out of the tree.

They thanked Kami-sama for small favors.

Another short moment of triumph, had been heartwarming, at least for the blond maverick. In one particular boring mission when they had to clean up Konoha's general library, Sakura had managed to pilfer some basic scrolls about Fuinjutsu.

She later gave them to Naruto with the reason that he should take an active interest in the art that actually kept his burden at bay. The scrolls contained just beginner instructions, not even enough to make his own Kibakufuda, or Storage seals, but it was the gesture that counted.

They knew that they'd probably never find anything truly dangerous written on scrolls in a public library. Fuinjutsu was an art that had to be discovered either on its own, or through the guiding hands of a mentor. Not through scrolls.

Still, after the trouble Sakura went through just for him, Naruto had attacked the scrolls with an academic vigor so foreign to him that even the stoic Uchiha had let out a chuckle. It also helped that the times when Sakura and Sasuke berated him for his lack of knowledge were long past, and that they now helped him to understand certain phrases that made no sense to him.

Rather than laughing, they started to slowly fill the gaps in his punctured education. Something he'd be eternally grateful for.

Naturally, they weren't sure whether their small victories were truly victories, or if Kakashi knew and simply didn't bother.

Who really knew what went on in that man's mind...

It was Sakura who broke the companionable silence after they had drunken the water.

"We have to do something about our hygiene..." she suddenly declared.

Sasuke and Naruto looked at her funnily at first, but then understood.

Once again they hadn't showered for days – they weren't allowed home, after all – and today had been the first mission where a client actually wrinkled his nose in their presence, simply because they reeked.

"I know, but how? We'll have to endure it somehow," Sasuke answered.

"Yeah. Bastard's right. We've done it before, after all."

Sakura sighed, but then shook her head and spoke again, "You don't understand... it's not because we're not able to. It's because we have to. The whole point of these missions is to repel those rumors about Naruto. If we continue to stink even worse each day, the rumors will simply go into another direction."

It was an angle neither of the boys had considered. They looked down on the ground and frowned, both searching for possible ways to overcome to problem.

"... we don't have to smell like roses," Sasuke concluded in the end, then sighed. "We just have to get a large amount of water somehow."

Naruto then had an idea and looked up, clearly uncomfortable.. "I think I've got a way, but we have to compromise and it might be a bit... well..."

"Let's hear it. Anything's better than nothing."

"Okay, here it goes..." Naruto replied. "If I gauged my reserves correctly after all the time I used my Jutsu, well... theoretically I have enough chakra to overpower it to such a degree that I can give a shower for one or two minutes. I know it's not much and once a day is my limit if we still want to drink..."

"That's... that could actually work," Sasuke said. "You're right. We'd have to compromise and take turns... a shower every three days should be enough not to make the clients too uncomfortable."

Sasuke looked up after noticing the silence of his teammates and saw the red hues around their noses. Then it clicked for him, too.

"Right... a shower while wearing clothes is useless," he mumbled, suddenly sporting a small blush of his own.

"I..." Sakura floundered a bit, then visibly steeled herself. "I'll do it. We've got to get rid of those rumors."

"Sakura..."

She saw the astonished faces of _her_ boys, but nonetheless continued, "After what I've read it stands to reason that we'd eventually see each other naked anyway... things like that don't stand between a team, right?"

After her resolute finish, Naruto and Sasuke couldn't really say anything else and simply nodded.

"Well... then... who goes for the first day?" Naruto asked, directing the question purposefully at his teammates.

It would made the most sense for him to be the first one – the rumors were about him, after all – but he could already foresee some complications when it came to showering himself with his Jutsu. Something his teammates obviously hadn't thought about just yet.

Naruto looked to Sakura and quickly continued, "No offense, Sakura... but I think Sasuke should go first. He's the last Uchiha and the most prominent member in our team. You could shower tomorrow then."

Sakura, who was still quite overwhelmed with the whole situation, even though she had managed to retain a somewhat cool head, nodded dumbly. The Uchiha simply shrugged his shoulders and grunted.

He rose from his seated position, and before even a tiny bit of doubt could creep into his mind, pealed himself out of his clothes – all of his clothes. Sakura simply looked on, shell-shocked. She hadn't anticipated such a quick realization of their plan.

Naruto likewise stood and was already forming the seals. "Two minutes, _Bastard_. Make the most of it... _Suitōn: Semai Mizushuuha!_

The stream that shot out of the blond's mouth was so much stronger and bigger than the small attempts he had used before to give them something to drink. It hit Sasuke straight in the chest, and the boy did his best to scrub himself clean with his hands as fast as he could.

Two minutes weren't much to shower, but they'd make due with it – they were Team 7, after all.

The curious thought that he could claim himself as a member of Team 7 – and that with pride – flittered through his mind. His smile was miniscule, but it was there... despite their current situation.

Sakura who had read so many trashy romance novels in her short life that she lost count, continued to stare unashamedly at the last Uchiha. Perhaps she was a pervert? Who knew...

Then her senses actually picked up the gargantuan amounts of chakra Naruto pumped into his Jutsu and her gaze involuntarily switched over to him. She recoiled in shock – blue wisps of _visible _energy were wafting around the blond, who had a look of utmost concentration plastered across his face.

After a minute and a half, Sasuke quickly looked to Naruto and shouted over the noise of the stream, "_Dobe_! The last thirty seconds on my clothes!"

Naruto who noticed his reserves rapidly approaching their end, quickly acquiesced to the request and watered Sasuke's clothes, until they were completely drenched. Then, after the end of the second minute the stream ended abruptly and Naruto collapsed on the ground, landing painfully on his knees.

Sakura was instantly by his side. "' you alright, Naruto?"

He grinned tiredly up to her concerned face. "I'm fine, no worries. Just utterly spent..."

"Can you give us an estimate how much chakra that actually cost you – compared to Kawarimi, for example," Sasuke said.

Sakura and Naruto looked over, and while the former blushed, the latter nearly chocked and instantly concentrated on the last Uchiha's face. Sasuke had used some of the larger sticks and a bit of wire to hang his wet clothes next to the fire, and sat in front of them completely naked.

Sasuke let none of his discomfort show on his face, and for the first time Naruto was actually jealous not to be an Uchiha, or better said, not to have the seemingly inborn stoicism of one.

"Can't say for certain," Naruto explained tiredly, looking anywhere but at his teammate. "I guess about a hundred Kawarimi? Maybe more... I'm not sure."

After such an eventful night, it took the trio quite some time until they managed to get some sleep. Something that was repaid brutally by Kakashi's insane training during the next day.

* * *

Two days later, a similar situation arose during the night. The day before, Naruto had showered Sakura and her clothes, even managing to hold out for a few precious seconds longer and it burned itself in their minds just as it had happened during Sasuke's shower.

The boys had tried to be gentlemen, but in the end lost the fight against the natural order of life and started to look. Perhaps they could have hold out, but Sakura – with a bright, red face – had said that it was okay. After all she had done the same... and she was tired of the fact that they didn't look at her when they talked afterward.

A real problem though, came once it was Naruto's night to shower. Just as he had foreseen, neither of his teammates had thought about the logistics of it.

For him to overpower the Jutsu, he had to concentrate extremely hard and he had to hold the hand seal while he spat out the water... something that wasn't really productive if he simultaneously wanted to scrub himself clean of all the dirt.

That night, was probably the most memorable one in his life till date. As per agreement, they compromised... just was it a tad more personal and close up than for the other two.

Sasuke had vehemently protested – and was loudly supported by Naruto in his decision – not to get involved in scrubbing the blond. Sakura however, had more _compassion _and the fact that Naruto was helping them so much, and wasn't bad looking either didn't hurt.

In one of the most awkward moments of his existence, Sakura had scrubbed him from head to toe while he spit the water into the air, letting it rain down on them. His concentration had wavered something fierce during the two minutes – especially because Sakura's soft fingers touched his bare skin.

It was a simple fact that he was a teenager – they all were... and as puberty and circumstance demanded from him, he got a boner. It wasn't the first one, definitely, but hell if it wasn't the most mortifying one as it had poked into Sakura's thigh on accident.

They soldiered through in the end, and – after all – something good came out of the whole matter: never before had they seen Sasuke so thoroughly amused. The carefree laugh of his had been a completely new experience for the other two members of Team 7.

* * *

**AN:** And that's it. Ha, you won't believe how much fun I had to write this chapter. Puberty is such an awkward time, it's unreasonably funny to write about it... then again, maybe I'm just touched in the head.

**Used Jutsu:**

_Suitōn: Semai Mizushuuha _– A small stream of water (D-ranked)

**Trivia about Konoha & the Council:**

The structure of command in Konoha goes as follows: The supreme leader and dictator of the village is the Hokage. His word is the law, and should it get broken heads start to roll. As his advisers he has his old teammates, who are each the '**chairman**' of a (one) _council_ (I use the term lightly, as it isn't a legalized institution, but more of a forum that has formed itself over the course of Konoha's existence).

The advisers are his link to the population of his village.

Mitokado Homura is the '**chairman**' of the shinōbi _council –_ a bunch of representatives of the major clans who discuss issues concerning their clans, and nothing else. 'Legally' they have no power, but as it consists of the clans that provide a large part of Konoha's forces, there would be a certain danger involved if one simple was to dismiss them as inconsequential.

For the most part, Homura manages the meetings and should a truly troubling issue arise, he consults and informs the Hokage. Otherwise – and that's were Sarutobi's endless paperwork comes in – he simply writes up reports about the issues and gets them shipped to the Sandaime.

Utatane Koharu is the '**chairwoman**' of the civilian _council_ – like their counterpart, a bunch of representatives of the major civilian clans, and those people with a certain influence and clout (mostly through money). Sakura's father, as the representative of the Haruno clan has gotten himself a seat in this council in the last years, because his business took off and the financial might of the Haruno's isn't to be underestimated. That council, too, has no real legal power, but serves as a forum for the civilian's problems.

The same as for Homura goes for Koharu. If something truly pressing comes up she contacts the Hokage; otherwise she simply writes up reports.

No matter what happens: the Hokage is and always will be the highest power in the village. Nothing those councils decide is legal in any way until the Hokage says it is – again, paperwork. But, they are invaluable as they help him to keep his ear on the ground.

So, to summarize, in my fiction I hope not to fall into the old cliché of the all powerful council that can outvote their Kage. Also, while Homura and Koharu aren't the friendliest people in the world, they aren't political enemies of Hiruzen either. They do their job, and they do it well. Otherwise they would have been given the boot long ago.


	7. VII - Three Magatama For One Eye

Here we go again, and that so shortly after the last chapter. I have to say that the muse didn't just kiss me, she nearly rode my brains out lmao. Never managed to write a 10k word chapter in 2 days before. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and if you've got some questions either comment or write a pm. I'll answer both if possible.

* * *

**Team 7's Ascension**

_Written by Eilyfe_

**Chapter VII – Three Magatama For One Eye**

* * *

Roughly fourteen days after Kakashi had declared Ground 12 to be their new home, Team 7 could say that they now definitely got a good handle on D-ranks, as well as surviving in barren environment. It took a while, but after seeing each other naked regularly for two weeks, most shame simply fell off their team – at least regarding nudity and their bodies.

The brutal gauntlet the Jōnin had them running through was vicious, ended in bloodshed more often than not and – plainly said – made their lives simply more difficult. The results couldn't be argued with though: their reflexes had been taken to a whole new level, as had their response times to incoming threats and projectiles.

For a short time they actually considered themselves strong... they had, after all, brought their skills to a level they personally didn't even knew existed. The moment of glory and pride had held for five whole minutes.

… then Kakashi crashed their mental celebrations and kicked the living shit out of them.

Now though it was finally time for them to learn a new technique. At least that's what their Jōnin-sensei had told them as he assembled them on the edge of Ground 12. With crossed legs, the members of Team 7 sat on the sandy ground and looked up to the man that had tortured them without abandon in the last few months.

"Tell me... did you three learn what I wanted to teach you?" Kakashi began and made a vague hand gesture toward the three Genin. "Have you understood why I gave you just a single Jutsu over the last six months?"

Sakura's eyes lit up and a smile tugged at her lips; it was an easy question.

"Mastery," she answered, knowing that both her teammates preferred her to field the answer to their sensei's question.

Kakashi favored her with an eye-smile. "Exactly. Although the word mastery might not be the best... even after six months you're far off from becoming masters," he said and tapped his chin.

It was an odd gesture, the Genin found. Then Kakashi continued, "In truth, most shinōbi only take the time to truly master a few selected techniques... that alone takes years, mostly. Jiraiya-sama – for example – knows dozens of Jutsu, but the one technique he truly refined to perfection is his self-developed _Hari Jizou_."

The Hatake regarded them with a stern look. "What I wanted you to understand is that even though mastery is rare, you at least have to become somewhat proficient in your techniques. Simply cramming Jutsu in your heads won't do you any good."

The gloved finger of the man pointed at the blond of their team. "Naruto! How many applications have you found for the _Semai Mizushuuha_, despite its low rank?"

"Um... a lot?" Naruto half-answered, half-asked.

"Not the most precise answer, but in essence exactly what I wanted to hear... tell me, have you noticed anything else?"

Sasuke – who had been a silent observer of their meeting until then – looked up and his right eye twitched. "How do you even know our affinities? I learned the _Hisan Ikazuchi_ easier than my clan's Katōn Jutsu. The Dobe's got no problems with Suitōn Jutsu either."

Kakashi smiled enigmatically. "I doubt you'll remember, but during one of the academy's annual health check-ups you had to channel chakra into a piece of paper. You probably took it for another annoying test, but your affinities have been on record since then."

"Doesn't it change though?" Sakura asked. "I remember Iruka-sensei lecturing us about something similar..."

"Your base affinity is manifested at birth," Kakashi answered. "Obviously, we can't check for it right then... except through very invasive procedures which aren't required too often."

The Jōnin interrupted his explanation and shot the blond a veiled glance. He knew very well that Naruto had been one of the very few who got the _privilege_ of such an invasive procedure... his affinity had entered the records exactly five hours after his birth.

None of the Genin missed his glance. They easily connected the dots and Sasuke as well as Sakura slid up a bit closer to their blond teammate – even though the Uchiha's movement was less noticeable.

"Anyway..." Kakashi continued. "There's more to it than that. Later on in life it's possible to develop secondary, sometimes even tertiary elements through training. It can also happen that your primary affinity changes place with your secondary affinity if you use the second much more than the first."

"... I'd like that," Sasuke admitted quietly. "Raitōn isn't bad... I like the _Hisan Ikazuchi_, but I'm more comfortable with my clan's Katōn techniques."

He felt the stares of his teammates and sensei, but it didn't bother him. They were mostly curious after all.

"It's..." Sasuke stopped for a second, getting a far-away look in his eyes, but then visible gathered himself. "It's a matter of clan pride for me. Kakashi-sensei, I'd like to master my Katōn affinity from now on."

Kakashi could honestly say that he hadn't expected this response. Maybe he should have, but he'd been sure that Sasuke would be happy with any element as long as it brought him closer to _defeating_ his brother.

Then again, it was a testament to the boy's recent development that he had made his request in a polite way and with a reasonable argument to boot.

"It can be arranged if you are certain this is what you want," Kakashi answered after a few moments of contemplation. "I planned to give you another Raitōn Jutsu, but I can just as well teach you a Katōn technique – one that your clan favored – if you want."

"Eh...," Naruto interrupted. "What 'bout the Bastard? Aren't his eyes supposed to be the ultimate Jutsu machine?"

"No special ability comes without a price, Naruto. Especially not one as powerful as the Sharingan," Kakashi explained. "Sasuke can – theoretically at least – copy any technique that doesn't stem from a bloodline. That, however, doesn't mean the copied technique is going to be as strong as if the original wielder had cast it."

Sasuke looked up and asked surprised, "Really?"

"You didn't know?" Kakashi looked incredulously at the last loyal Uchiha.

"I've had no time to read in the archives since you became our sensei," Sasuke said and shrugged. "The Uchiha scripts that can be read without a Sharingan are rather..._biased._"

Kakashi was silent for a minute, seemingly lost in thought, then he looked back up and said, "For the moment, your main affinity is Raitōn. Now, imagine that you copy a strong A-ranked Futōn Jutsu from someone who's mastered his element... you can use it, certainly, but it would either kill you because it takes too much chakra – Futōn isn't your element after all – or the result would be incredibly weak, because you haven't had any training in the element."

Kakashi watched Sasuke's expression morph into one of understanding and continued, "In return, should you copy a Raitōn or a Katōn Jutsu, you could use it with great efficiency from the get go after you've finished your elemental training."

"So, in plain terms... I can die if I'm not careful with how I use what I copy?"

"Exactly. I hope I made it clear to you in your mock-missions that the most important tool for a shinōbi is common sense and logic," Kakashi said. "That goes doubly for an Uchiha. Believe me, the Sharingan isn't just powerful, it's also very tempting."

"Ne, Ne! What 'bout me then?" Naruto asked. "Is Suitōn any good?"

"Every element has it's strengths and weaknesses... you'll find Suitōn to be very versatile though, I imagine."

It was finally time. It was the time Sakura had waited for since she first saw her teammate make water out of nothing.

Instantly, she intervened and asked, "What about the requirements though? Suitōn user usually need a source of water nearby... Naruto uses his technique all the time, even when there's no water."

"There's always water around you – at least in some shape or form," the Jōnin replied cryptically. "Naruto does exactly the same as the Nidaime did. I'll spare you the physics... suffice to say: it takes a very strong primary affinity for Suitōn and ridiculous amounts of chakra."

Naruto frowned thoughtfully. "So... that's why a D-ranked technique drains me so much?"

"Indeed. It'll get easier though, you'll see. With each step along the mastery of your primary affinity you'll recognize a noticeable increase in your abilities to use Suitōn without a source of water," Kakashi finished his explanation.

The Hatake gave them a few minutes to let all the new information settle. He observed them and pondered the direction he was taking his team to.

Naruto, with his monstrous reserves – easily replenished by his biju – and his Suitōn affinity could very well become stronger than Senju Tobirama. At the moment, Sasuke still knew more Ninjutsu, but he was sure that Naruto would catch up soon... with much more destructive variants than his teammate.

It would be the Uzumaki who's going to bring down the thunder when scores of enemies threaten their team, Kakashi knew.

His gaze swiveled over to Sasuke. With his Sharingan, his incredible reflexes and his seemingly inborn fighting intuition he was well on his way to become a real monster in close-up, one versus one combat. Should they ever encounter a single, superior shinōbi when Kakashi wasn't with them, Sasuke would be the one to lead the fight.

The greatest threat to a Taijutsu user – which Sasuke would inevitably become despite his clan's techniques – were illusions that could fool his perception. A threat, quickly negated through his unique eyes.

Then, the Jōnin cleared his throat and brought his team's attention back to his person. There was one person he hadn't evaluated... he was sure that a confidence boost would do her some good though.

"You, Sakura, are the link that chains the boys together and enables them to fight to their full potential," Kakashi began. "With your incredible control and mind you can layer illusion after illusion around your enemies... fool their senses, play with their emotions. I can tell you from experience: most veteran shinōbi have no fear when it comes to battle, but you... _you_ can make them _tremble_."

"Haruno Sakura," Kakashi said. "Genjutsu Juggernaut... has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Her face brightened visibly after his explanation, but the Jōnin was already contemplating the word he had just used. _Juggernaut_... they'd all become ones in their own rights sooner or later.

"Anyway, let's continue with the Jutsu you're going to learn in these last two weeks," Kakashi continued. "Sasuke, you'll learn the _H__ōsenka no Jutsu_. It's a C-ranked technique your clan favored and you can spice it up in many different ways."

"Naruto, you'll learn the _Mizu Bunshin_ – also a C-ranked technique. You already showed that you can produce copious amounts of water out of nothing... this shouldn't be out of your reach," the Hatake explained.

Then he turned to Sakura. "You have a choice Sakura. Either you take the _Kori Shinchū no Jutsu_ – a C-ranked Genjutsu, or I can look for a Dotōn technique, which is your primary element by the way."

"I'll take the Genjutsu," Sakura replied quickly.

She wouldn't let it get to her head... but, there was no denying that her sensei's words about becoming a Genjutsu _juggernaut_ appealed to hear.

"Well that's that then. We'll begin your training immediately!"

* * *

A week later, Kakashi did something that none of them had expected. He prematurely took them out of Ground 12 and sent them home with the order to reassemble again in the morning.

None of them knew what led to the rash shift of attitude and although they'd learn in the next morning, none of them slept well that night. The paranoia their Jōnin-sensei had instilled in them made it hard to keep their eyes shut and catch some well-deserved sleep.

With bags under their eyes, they finally regrouped at sunrise and regarded each other with suffering expressions.

"What d' you think it'll be this time?" Naruto asked.

Sakura tried to rub the tiredness out of her eyes – and failed. "Don't-" her sentence was interrupted by her loud yawn. "Don't know. I'm not even sure if I want to know..."

"How bad could it actually be?" Sasuke asked, and both his teammates shot him confused and worried glances.

"You alright, Bastard? That's Kakashi-sensei we're talking 'bout... you know, our demonic and brutal teacher?"

Sakura simply nodded along with the blond, and Sasuke put his hands in his pockets, frowning. "I know that – I just mean... what could be worse than what he already did?"

"Shut up, Sasuke, "Sakura surprisingly grouched. "Now you're just tempting fate!"

"Indeed..." a fourth voice said, appearing between them in his traditional swirl of leaves.

Kakashi smiled maliciously at Sasuke. "You're offer to mutilate you even more is appreciated, Sasuke-chan. This time however, you're off the hook... for now."

"What is it then, sensei?" Naruto asked.

The Hatake's expression became a mixture of sternness and determination. Naruto though, could also see some signs of sadness flitting through his teacher's eye's.

"In six days we're going to start with C-ranked missions," Kakashi began. "They won't be easy... definitely not as easy as the ones your peers take. In all probability, you'll make your kills in your very first mission."

That silenced Team 7 quickly. The last time they had heard their Jōnin-sensei speak with such a severe tone had been during their team introduction when he completely crushed their over-inflated egos.

This time though, the gravity of his words wasn't directed against them. Rather, it was directed against the whole situation... because, child-soldiers, no matter whether they belonged to your culture or not, were something universally seen as wrong.

… even by their teacher, a man who had seen more than his fair share of reality.

"In six days... we're not just going on C-ranks, but we'll also leave the village on official business in the name of Konohagakure. Appearances have to be kept, at all cost. How you act and look in your own time is unimportant, but how you act and look while on a mission – that is crucial."

Naruto had already guessed where this speech was going. "What exactly do you want us to do, Kakashi-sensei?"

"New clothes for one. I'll be away for the last week – a small matter has come up and I have to deal with it – so you have to train by yourself. In that time I want each of you to modify, or completely replace your wardrobe," Kakashi explained.

Then, the Jōnin looked at Sakura and said, "Sakura, I'm not concerned over Sasuke when it comes to attire, but I'd ask you to help Naruto pick something fitting. I know you're very self-sufficient, Naruto, but trust me – Sakura will be an immense help."

… _and she'll make sure that you don't wear something completely orange_,Kakashi thought.

Kakashi sighed before resuming his command, "Be prepared to face some hostility toward Naruto. The villagers mostly just ignore him – they're too afraid the Sandaime will have them court-marshaled if they sell him rotten things – but there is a slight chance that his clothes will be over-priced. Not by much, but I thought it better to warn you."

"Clothes and self-training. Anything else?" Sasuke asked curtly.

Oddly enough, the thought of his blond teammate facing cold indifference from nearly every person in Konoha made him rather angry. He knew where these protective emotions came from – still didn't want to acknowledge them fully though – but sometimes his body reacted simply on its own.

This time, his Sharingan flared up briefly, before his eyes turned back to their usual charcoal black.

Kakashi tapped his chin. "I'd advise all of you to find some kind of hobby while I'm gone. Something to relax..."

He ignored their incredulous looks and explained, "No matter what they taught you at the academy... your first kill will make you question a lot of your beliefs. I found that a hobby helps to retain your sanity at least somewhat while you're doing such contemplations."

… _and what a fucking hypocrite I am_, Kakashi thought morbidly.

None of his perverted books had prevented his descend into the abyss – then again, he desperately wanted each of these three to be so much more than him, to be so much better.

Maybe they would succeed where he failed.

"Anyway, that's all, " Kakashi said at last. "We'll meet again in six days and go on our first C-ranked mission – make sure you're ready for it."

* * *

Naruto fiddled with the strings that bound the blue piece of armor to his right shoulder until Sakura swatted his hands away. His face was set in a frown, even though no word of protest escaped him.

Sometimes – he had found out recently – there were times when arguing didn't solve anything and simply created more trouble than it was really worth. His attire of choice was one such matter, unfortunately.

The orange jumpsuit, it wasn't all he had to wear, not by a wide margin, but it was the outfit he had felt the most comfortable in. In a time when he still strove relentlessly for the acknowledgment of the villagers – before he became a shinōbi – it had quickly become his favorite.

It simply didn't get much more obnoxious and colorful than orange... and attention, even of a different kind than what he originally planned for, had always been welcome.

He liked his jumpsuit. Otherwise he wouldn't have run around in it for so long... attention, not a bad amount of protection either – there was a reason, after all, why the jumpsuit had been so bulky.

Still, while it was everything he had needed to make it through as a child, the situation had changed drastically once he donned his _Hitai-ate_. In the eyes of his village he had become an adult and now was expected to shoulder all the responsibilities this advancement entailed.

Things like respectability and reliability suddenly mattered so much more... was it a wonder then, after all the revelations of the last few months, that he didn't have it in him anymore to argue?

Now, he simply endured – _the embodiment of a shinōbi_, he thought amused – and gave Sakura full reigns over his future wardrobe.

Naruto wasn't surprised when she mostly went with black and different shades of gray. A few additional white tapes to secure the hems of his pants and shirts – which also served as emergency bandages in the field – some mesh interlaced in the sturdy fabric, and quite a lot of pouches to hold all the equipment he might need.

He looked at his left shoulder and couldn't decide whether to grimace or smile. The blue shoulder plate looked pretty awesome, which definitely was a reason to smile... but, it was the only piece of his attire that could be even remotely called colorful – and even that was up for debate with its shade of dark blue.

Naruto settled for sighing which Sakura could interpret as a mixture of both. He didn't understand the hype, not really.

If a hostile shinōbi was truly dedicated to finding him, then what different would it make what he wore? After six months with Kakashis-sensei, Sakura and Sasuke he knew that visual inputs could be faked on so many ways... it was – although still important – one of the lesser used ways to hunt for enemies.

The hearing for close range, chakra sensing for mid range, and smell for targets far away. Eyes, Naruto found, were mostly used as supplementary tools in the hunt. Especially when it came to shinōbi who knew how to cover their tracks.

Then again, Kakashi's speech about attire and Konoha's image made sense. The Jōnin would know why he ordered it. After all, Naruto had barely made it to the rank of Genin while his sensei appeared to be some verified genius.

The single _magatama_ that dangled from his right ear was something that Sasuke came up with, surprisingly. It was made of black jade and would have completely busted Naruto's budget had he paid for it himself. Sasuke simply rattled off some bank-account number and wordlessly gave it to him.

Naruto tapped his fingers against his belt and grinned. He had long and hard thought about what kind of hobby he'd pursue... watering flowers out in the field was out of question after all.

… and to the consternation of his teammates, he simply adopted the hobby of a man he respected above everyone else – a pipe with a long and straight wooden stem hung from his belt; the pouch next to it was filled with some tobacco he had chosen himself – whether it was good one or not, he couldn't say. He didn't trust the merchant, so he'd simply mark it as an experiment.

_The Hokage had a terrible sense of fashion when it came to pipes_, Naruto found. The weird, curved design of the old man's pipe was atrocious...

When he had told Sakura and Sasuke... both still making a big secret about their hobbies, they hadn't been pleased. Well, he easily calmed them down with ration arguments.

And wasn't that ironic for a guy like Uzumaki Naruto? In the end, his biju would heal any damage he received from his new vice.

His gaze wandered over to the Uchiha and his lips quirked upward.

The lazy bastard had simply walked into his clan's armory, took the damaged armor of his greatest ancestor – a guy named _Malaria_, or something – and brought it to a capable smith who repaired and fitted it for him.

In his opinion, Sasuke still needed to grow a bit into the outfit, but it looked professional and dangerous nonetheless.

Most wouldn't pay attention to the detail, but after receiving his own _magatama_ Naruto easily spotted where Sasuke kept his. It dangled from a thin necklace that was secured beneath the blood-red armor.

In comparison to her teammates, Sakura had changed the least out of the three – at least as far as he could see it. Her dress stayed mostly the same, although she was missing the pants she had worn beneath it. What stood out though, was her hair which had been shortened a bit – not too much – and now was pulled up in a ponytail.

The band that safely secured her choice of hairdo was a small leather band with a single _magatama_ used as a clip.

Naruto definitely found it interesting that it was Sasuke who brought forth the idea of somewhat declaring their allegiance to their demonic sensei.

In the last six months they had gone through hell and back – as far as they could perceive it at least – and although they had thought about running away many times, in the end Kakashi did what he had promised them.

They became strong. Not the strongest, as their sensei liked to remind them brutally, but so much stronger than they had been before.

Naruto didn't know about the other two, but he still sometimes felt like he was dreaming when he compared his current level of skill with that of his younger self from six months ago. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined such a dramatic increase was possible.

It was though, and their Jōnin-sensei had been the one to pull it out, kicking and screaming.

Despite everything that happened... he had come to like his teacher. Naruto was sure his teammates felt the same.

They had decided to honor him somehow, and then Sasuke came up with the idea of three _magatamas_, each symbolizing one of the three _tomoe_ in their sensei's fully matured Sharingan.

Not many would understand what the magatamas stood for, but that was fine. They only ones who needed to know, already knew it.

… and Kakashi; well the guy was the premier master of looking underneath the underneath.

He would find out, eventually.

* * *

Birds chirped cheerfully, the hustling and bustling on the streets below echoed through the opened windows, and the soft rustling of Konoha's mighty trees reached the Hokage's ears. Sarutobi smiled and lit his pipe with a small flame from his index finger. Soon, the soothing scent of his favorite tobacco wafted through the office.

He smiled some more.

The day had started like any other for the Hokage. He had completed his daily work-out regime as soon as the Sarutobi clan's retainer woke him. Then he went straight to his office, and through sheer will, determination and perseverance, he even managed to finish a lion's share of his daily paperwork.

That was the reason why he now stood in the mission office – rather lounging than standing, really – and amused himself with the distraught faces of freshly minted Genin who abhorred D-ranked missions.

Iruka sat on a table next to him and shuffled through a few papers and mission scrolls. The poor Chūnin had an outstanding percentage of completed missions ranging from D-ranked to B-ranked; even two A-ranked missions could be found in his files... still, he never got a pause.

People like him, who basically embodied the _Hi no Ishi_, were hard to come by. The Hokage was more than happy that he had such a dependable, and most of all, incorruptible shinōbi spear heading his administration. At least for the next few weeks until it was once again the time for a new class of students to be educated.

Sarutobi glanced at a calendar on Iruka's table. He hadn't forgotten Kakashi's dangerous gamble – how could he... the man was an Elite Jōnin of his village after all.

When the door to the room opened again though and a new Team was ushered in by a secretary, the crooked stem of his pipe nearly slipped out of his mouth. With his supreme experience and reflexes, the Hokage managed to bite down and anchor the pipe securely in his mouth. The short expression of surprise wasn't visible on his aged face for longer than a split second.

Team 7 had come back.

_What in Kami-sama's name..._

A short look to his favorite administrative Chūnin showed him that the man wasn't as adept at disguising his surprise. It was understandable though. Iruka hadn't seen Naruto in over six months, and the changes Kakashi had wrought in the blond were nothing short of astonishing.

Now, standing at a respectable height and moving with a surprising grace, Naruto showed himself to be – once again – the most unpredictable shinōbi in his forces. The blue shoulder plate gleamed in the light of the office, clashing a bit with the tan skin of the blond.

"I see that you finished your six months of training," Sarutobi said and offered each Genin a warm smile while secretly observing them.

He nearly choked on his spit when he saw the heir of the Uchiha clan. Sarutobi had been very young when he met Madara, but he would never be able to forget the blood-red armor the man had favored... the same armor that now shielded Uchiha Sasuke from attacks – as fitting as it might seem, it also disturbed him to a certain degree.

The Hokage tipped his hat slightly as he saw a knowing glint in Sasuke's eyes.

The boy knew exactly what kind of memories the armor had evoked... _cheeky brat_.

He looked toward the Haruno and was glad to see that the girl had made her usual wardrobe more efficient. It definitely pleased him to see the well-hidden senbon and knives nearly everywhere on her body... most Genin, even a few Chūnin would never notice them before it was too late.

Then, at last, he looked back to Kakashi and nearly did a double take. The man hadn't really changed... outwardly. But there was something off about him. Something, the Hokage was sure, hadn't been there before. He closed his eyes for a moment and directed all his senses toward the Jōnin, nearly recoiling when the information came back to him.

The man still had his slouching posture, still looked just as lazy as ever... but his chakra was a completely different story. It was more refined, more dangerous. Now more than ever, the Yondaime's student felt like a weapon of mass destruction.

It seemed that Kakashi hadn't just tortured his students, but had also put himself through a new training regime – a regime that gave him back the edge he had lost after the third war ended.

_That and more..._

"Yes, Hokage-sama. Team 7 is more than ready to receive a C-ranked mission," Kakashi replied.

Iruka looked like he wanted to say something, but the Chūnin obviously bit his tongue and kept it to himself. If an Elite-Jōnin like Kakashi and the Sandaime Hokage endorsed a C-ranked mission for Team 7, who was he to argue?

Still, Iruka worried about the three Genin. Not too long ago they had been his charges... he shook his head and got rid of those thoughts. They were shinōbi now – proud soldiers of the leaf.

"Very well," Sarutobi said and went over to the large stack of scrolls; he pulled out one from the C-ranked shelf. "This should promise to be a good one..."

"What is it, Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi smiled. "The Merchant guild of _Eigyou Tokai_ has asked for a two weeks-long surveillance of their most used trade route. Follow the road and do occasional sweeps of five miles into every direction – that should satisfy the mission contract."

Kakashi nodded and quickly signed his name on the mission board. This C-rank was now, officially, theirs to handle. He glanced at his team and gave them an eye-smile, before turning back to the Hokage who still indulged in his tobacco.

"By your leave, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi nodded, and watched as Team 7 walked out of the office in an orderly fashion. As soon as the door closed however, his smile changed from a joyous upturned one into a grim, thin line.

Missions like the one he had just sent Kakashi's team on were often times given out to more experienced Genin teams as they would most likely encounter some resistance in the form of bandits, mercenaries, and other thugs.

Sarutobi sighed. He knew that he he had just sent Team 7 out to get their first kills, to become truly blooded by the harsh and cruel world outside of Konoha's walls. Then, the softness in his expression vanished and his countenance became harsh.

Team 7 would have to endure a lot with the special attention he payed them now... but, Kami-sama willing, they would emerge stronger than ever from it. After all, it was Kakashi's team he wanted to entrust the future of Konoha to... until then, he would have to keep the Kage's seat occupied.

* * *

"So..." Naruto stared at his teammates. The Genin of Team 7 stood outside the mission office. Kakashi had left them the second the Hokage had ended the meeting, ordering them to be prepared for the next day.

At eight-o'clock in the morning, they would leave from Konoha's southern gate.

"So what?" Sasuke asked, looking at his teammate quizzically.

"What are we going to do? Night's still ways off..." Naruto answered.

"Training?" Sakura said, playing with a short knife in her hand. She balanced it on her fingertip with chakra. Then, she sent out a small pulse, sending the knife flying through the air until it landed expertly on another fingertip.

It was a decent control exercise, although she did it more for the benefit of expanding her knife-skills. There was no telling when those would come in handy.

"We trained for the last six months," Naruto said. Then his stomach rumbled and he smiled sheepishly. "Well, I guess that solves it for me. I'm gonna get me some food."

He was about to jump away, when Sakura's iron grip closed around the fabric of his jumpsuit and anchored him to the ground. "Not so fast... you want to eat Ramen, don't you?"

"Eh... perhaps?"

Sakura shared a knowing look with her other teammate.

"I know a decent tea-shop in the area. We can get something to eat there and plan the mission," Sasuke muttered.

Despite Naruto's obvious appetite for Ramen, he quickly acquiesced and Team 7 as a whole agreed on eating in the tea-shop Sasuke had in mind. The distance was quickly, and quietly covered while jumping over the village's rooftops.

For a moment Naruto feared that he wouldn't be allowed into the establishment, but he rid himself of such doubts. Konoha's residents had never acknowledged him, but they hadn't been cruel either. Indifference hurt. It wasn't a crime however.

Pebbles crunched under their sandals as they abandoned the roofs and landed in front of the tea-shop. Sasuke returned the reverent greetings of the service with a nod and led his teammates inside where they seated themselves on large, colorful cushions around a small, flat table.

Naruto fell deeper into his cushion and took in the interior of the shop while Sakura and Sasuke ordered tea and different dishes. He frowned, and patted the small pouch on his utility belt that had replaced Gama-chan.

Hopefully he had enough money to pay for the food in such an establishment...

The time it took for their orders to be filled was spent in somewhat awkward silence. They looked at each other, but couldn't really bring themselves to start a conversation with meaningless smalltalk.

Naruto suddenly grinned. He exhaled loudly. "What a masterful combination of conversationalists we turn out to be, eh?"

Sakura arched an eyebrow sceptically, and allowed her lips to form into a cynical smirk. "Someone's been looking through a dictionary..."

"_Hn_."

Luckily, the consensus that they all sucked at meaningless conversation turned out to be a perfect way to bridge over the awkwardness and just relax until the tea came.

Sasuke looked over to his teammates and shook his head. It were the weirdest moments that led them to bond as a team... s

They drank their tea in silence and ate until they were reasonably full, before Sakura started a _meaningful_ conversation.

"So, the mission..." she trailed off, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

Sasuke had nothing to contribute, really, and was surprised when Naruto suddenly started to spout information.

"_Eigyou Tokai_... that's a reasonably large trading hub... around 60 miles south of Konoha. They make the most income from providing resting places for the caravans that come from the ocean towns."

Sakura looked at the blond. "That's pretty specific information."

"The _head-adviser_ had me memorizing the most important places in Hi no Kuni," Naruto replied. A bit of venom entered his voice when he thought about the deceitful adviser.

"... if this information is accurate, then we should have it pretty easy. Kakashi said that the mission spans over two weeks – one to reach the village and one to return," Sasuke said.

"Not even ten miles a day," Sakura replied. "Theoretically, we don't even have to run. A normal walk alongside the road will do."

Naruto listened to his teammates and smiled contently as he emptied his cup of tea. "Don't forget that we have to make sweeps every five miles. We'll definitely take to the trees there."

"Do you think we'll encounter hostiles?" Sakura asked.

Naruto scratched his chin. "Who knows? I guess we'll encounter _something_. They wouldn't have asked for a team otherwise."

"True."

They sat for another hour and planned a few contingencies as well as how they would handle the sweeps. When it slowly became dark outside, Naruto reached hesitantly for his purse, wondering how much the nice evening out with his teammates would cost him.

Sasuke noticed his teammate's movements and simply glanced at him, shaking his head. "We're not paying. This tea-shop stands on Uchiha owned land."

* * *

At exactly 8 am on the next morning Team 7 set out toward _Eigyou Tokai_. They walked leisurely alongside the road – which was coincidentally the trade route they had to protect – but none of them talked overly much.

As they traveled the route for the next few days they caught many wanderers staring at them. It was understandable, really. The chance to actually see shinōbi walking on a road when they had no client to protect was pretty slim. Not to mention that their outfits alone made them stand out.

Team 7 though paid those stares no mind and took the slow march as a very welcomed vacation – one that even their evil sensei wouldn't deny them. To further their level of relaxation, they also had the luck that it had rained in the area. Every six miles, Naruto easily managed to created two _Mizu Bunshin_ and sent them to sweep the area.

During the evenings, after Sakura successfully cooked and seasoned whatever Sasuke had hunted, Team 7 listened to their sensei as he regaled them with stories from his missions during the war and after.

It was curious. Kakashi seldom gave them direct advice; rather, he told them a story and let them reason it through on their own.

Along the line, seeing a part of the Jōnin's mask form into a satisfied smile, had become important to the Genin.

_Somehow... _

Kakashi was still an evil bastard – that, each of them agreed on.

It wasn't as if the Hatake denied it. In fact, he relished in the view his Genin had of him as it provided a never ending source of entertainment.

On their fourth day, Team 7 came upon a sight that made all thoughts about vacation redundant. Their eyes widened as they took in the toppled food cart on the road. Dozens of arrows were sticking in its wooden rails, and a few throwing knives were lying in the mud.

There was no trace of the owner.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

The three Genin stood at attention and awaited their orders just as he had drilled it into their heads.

"Naruto, Sasuke... secure the perimeter – be careful and don't damage the trails," Kakashi ordered.

Then, he turned to his pink-haired Genin. "Sakura, come with me. Let's find out if we can get some hints from the cart."

Three short nods later, the two boys vanished into the woods and Kakashi made his way over to the cart, followed closely by Sakura. The Jōnin gave his female student some time to look over the battlefield while he concluded his own investigation.

Sakura circled the cart, but found nothing that hinted toward the work of shinōbi. "I don't think the attackers were more than thugs, Sensei."

She crouched down and looked at the hundreds of footprints. "They quickly overwhelmed the merchant. It doesn't look like a great fight took place. The group's twenty, maybe thirty men strong."

"No great fight... despite all the arrows and knives?" Kakashi asked. He had come to the same conclusion, but wanted to hear his student's reasoning.

Sakura shook her head to the negative and answered, "Those were most likely methods to scare the merchant into quick compliance, nothing more."

Kakashi would have prodded further, but was cut off when Naruto and Sasuke returned, appearing in front of them.

"We secured the perimeter. No hostiles in the immediate area," Naruto reported.

"There's a trail we can follow though," Sasuke added.

The Jōnin frowned, but then nodded. "Right. Our objectives have changed for the moment – we follow the trail, secure the goods, and if there are survivors in captivity we try to rescue them."

Kakashi looked into the woods and finally put away his Icha Icha. "_Kongouseki__ Formation_: Sasuke, front! Naruto, right! Sakura, left! I'll take the rear."

The instructions were answered with an unified _Hai_ from his Genin, and within seconds Team 7 vanished into the forest. They followed the rather obvious trails in silence. Until, after approximately five hours, they came to halt on a thick branch several dozen feet away from a small encampment.

"Those are our targets. Any plans?" Kakashi asked, crouching next to his students.

Sasuke, who was completely shrouded in shadows standing next to the large tree trunk, answered, "We need to know if the merchant's still alive."

"And how do you plan on getting that knowledge?"

The Uchiha frowned. "We sneak in, kill the guards and search the tents."

"That's a possibility," Kakashi said, then looked at each member of his team. "If we do this, then those will be your first kills. Whatever happens... don't freeze. You can be sick after we cleaned up."

They looked a bit squeamish – even Sasuke – but they would have to kill sooner or later, Kakashi had told them that early on.

"_Go_," he whispered fiercely.

The plan was sound and two minutes later, three small shadows crept through the night, unseen by the guards until their throats were cleanly slit. It was the first kill for each of them, but as their sensei had said – being sick had to come later.

Team 7 sneaked through the camp once the guards were dead and carefully looked into the tents. In the sixth one, they finally found what they had been looking for.

The body of a dead man clothed in wealthy silks.

Sakura took a short whiff of the body and whispered, "Smells like herbs and costly spices. That's the merchant alright."

They slowly walked out of the tent, which was empty aside from the corpse and some provisions, and assembled in front of their Jōnin-sensei who was standing next to the small fire pit in the middle of the camp.

"What now?" Naruto whispered.

Kakashi looked around the camp and sighed; his next order would completely blood his Team.

"Permission to use Ninjutsu granted... eliminate them," he whispered back.

Immediately, the battle started.

* * *

_Hitsuji, Inu, U, Mi, Tori, Uma, Tora_ – Sasuke raced through the familiar hand seals of the Uchiha's most prized technique. He jumped into the air, targeted two of the tents and formed a circle with his fingers in front of his mouth.

"_Kat__ō__n: G__ō__kaky__ū__no Jutsu_!"

The stream of fire that left his mouth as soon as he exhaled, formed into a large ball of searing hot destruction, burning everything in its path to cinders. After the fiery introduction, screams started to reverberate through the forest – even the most moronic thug would have understood that he was, as of now, under attack.

Sasuke landed in a crouch; one hand on the ground, another around the hilt of his weapon. He pumped chakra through his legs and jumped at the first person that left a tent. A sickening noise – metal sliding into flesh – assaulted his ears as he stuck his ninja-to deeply into the gut of his victim.

His trained instincts screamed at him. Sasuke leaned back, avoiding a pair of hastily thrown knives, and retaliated with a fistful of well-aimed shuriken.

They nailed his unknown assailant directly between the eyes.

A short lack of opponents gave him the time to take stock of the situation. Then, another three mercenaries exited a tent and he was once again engaged in combat. The first man was unprepared for the Uchiha's sudden assault, and as a result held his innards in his hands only a split second later.

Sasuke evaded the amateurish slashes of the other two and loosely looped long strands of metal wire around their frames – they never noticed. With a quick tug of his left, the wire fastened itself around them and Sasuke raced through one-handed seals with his right.

He was glad that Kakashi had drilled the importance of mastering their techniques into them.

Sasuke looked to his right. Another two were coming his way. Intending to make it quick, he finished his seals and whispered, "_Rait__ō__n: Hisan Ikazuchi_."

The electric currents traveled alongside the wire and electrocuted the two captured thugs. Sasuke let go of the wire and readied his ninja-to. Seconds later it was – once again – buried into an enemy and red splats of blood marred his face.

In a short moment of inattention he looked at his red armor, and snorted.

_At least I don't have to wash it..._

* * *

Even before Sasuke woke the whole camp, Naruto had prepared the battlefield and made it advantageous for him. His Ninjutsu lacked the necessary _oomph_ that Sasuke's fireball had... at least when it came to the smaller techniques.

That didn't mean however that it was useless. After six months of constant use, he had finally gotten the hang of manipulating certain aspects of his small water stream.

Grinning, he raced through the seals.

"_Suitōn: Semai Mizushuuha!_" Naruto whispered and spat out a small but constant stream of water in front of a few tents. It took a lot of control, but he manipulated the liquid to be as slick as possible.

Then Sasuke's fireball announced the battle, and without fail, every bandit that stepped out of the tents Naruto had chosen as his own slipped up in the puddles of liquid. Some fell down, some managed to hold onto something – but all were completely off-balance.

Naruto gripped two kunai tightly and his expression was one of grim resolve, before – in a flurry of motions – he began his bloody work.

A kunai in each hand, he hacked and slashed his way through the bandits that had yet to grasp the futility of staying on their feet.

* * *

Sakura knew that Sasuke and Naruto would be _greedy _the moment the slaughter had started. It was an aspect of being boys, she assumed with a sigh. Then again, it wasn't as if she complained that she only had two tents with inhabitants to eliminate.

Holding her hands in the Ne-seal, she whispered, "_Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu._"

It took a bit more concentration, but with her control she easily managed to layer the Genjutsu twofold over both tents, affecting the bandits within even harder.

Two seconds later, the first screams erupted from the tents and thugs piled out, clutching their heads and begging for forgiveness. In the ensuing chaos, she slit their throats. She had always thought of herself as a strong kunoichi, especially after Kakashi's training. Yet, she took no pleasure in ending a life.

It was so easy... and absolutely disgusting. The disgust however was counter-balanced by a morbid thrill that sent shivers down her spine. Even as a – in her own words – delicate woman, Sakura felt blood lust gnawing at her senses.

She noticed incoming projectiles from three bandits that came out of the woods – apparently they had taken a stroll, or something... Sakura weaved between the arrows while her hand went into her pouch.

A quickly thrown kunai wrapped in a _Kibakufuda_ later, and an explosion ripped the three archers apart.

* * *

Kakashi observed his charges with a critical eye. It saddened him that they had to make their first kills so soon, but in the end it was inevitable. Then he narrowed his eyes and chided himself. He had promised the Hokage and more importantly himself to make this team into a squad of legends.

There was no time for pity.

But, there was a time for pride... and he was filled with plenty of _that_ as he watched his Genin use simple D-ranked techniques to take down scores of enemies. It was exactly the proficiency he had hoped for after he drilled it into them that every Jutsu could be deadly if in the hands of a master.

Especially Naruto's manipulation of the water's properties... a work of art that one.

He eyed the pink-haired girl of his team and his eye gleamed. Kurenai hadn't started to layer her Genjutsu until she made Chūnin... ah, he just knew that bragging rights were imminent.

Not to forget Sasuke's wire techniques in combination with such a weak lightning Jutsu...

… somehow he started to really like his team.

A lonely bandit saw him standing next to the fire pit, seemingly lost in thought and decided to attack him. Two lazily thrown shuriken later and the Jōnin could – once again – contemplate his students in peace.

_Well, as peaceful as standing in a river of blood could be..._

* * *

Roughly five minutes after Kakashi had permitted the use of lethal force, the Genin of Team 7 assembled in front of their leader. The Jōnin made a quick survey searching for injuries, but when he found none he easily ignored their bloody appearance.

It wasn't their blood. That's all that mattered.

"Good job," Kakashi said and went over to the one, still standing, tent.

A moment later he exited it with the corpse of the merchant and sealed the dead body inside a small scroll. "Come morning we'll continue our travels. The body will be given to the authorities... at least he can get a proper burial."

Kakashi looked at his charges and frowned. It was clear that now, as the adrenalin lessened, the emotional burden of becoming killers settled in. The three children held themselves up heroically, but he saw that they were tired.

"There's a small river three miles to the east. Wash up and get some rest... I'll do the clean-up."

They nodded tiredly and vanished into the woods, leaving their Jōnin-sensei alone in the destroyed camp.

Kakashi scratched his chin thoughtfully. He could have forced them to stay and help him – it surely would have hardened them even more... then again, perhaps killing dozens of people was enough hardening for a single day.

Even a magnificent bastard like himself could show compassion once in a while.

He produced three Kage Bunshin and threw the 34 thugs his team had slaughtered into one large pile. Then, he raced through fourteen hand seals and smashed his palms on the ground. His effort was rewarded with a foreboding rumbling beneath his feet, and soon the whole camp – corpses included – was swallowed up by mother earth.

* * *

The sound of retching and the rancid smell of puke permeated the surrounding area of the river where the Genin of Team 7 temporarily tried to get their bearings. It hadn't taken longer than a few seconds after they arrived, before both Sakura and Naruto became so sick that they threw up.

Naruto looked over to his pink-haired teammate, a grimace of pain, self-doubt and disgust plastered over is face. He crawled over to her after he was sure that he had chucked up the last bits of his breakfast and gentle held her ponytail out of the way.

The girl looked terrible. He didn't give a shit about her looks though, only her pain mattered at the moment. Tears leaked out of her eyes by the buckets, her own stomach contents were randomly splattered over her dress, she was drenched in blood and her nose was running...

Sakura, who had been so accepting of his burden... this was no simple crush anymore. He loved her, in some way at least. Whether as a sister or as a romantic interest, he didn't know. All he knew was that she needed him now.

He quickly gathered her up in his arms, feeling her chest heave with each sob that escaped her.

"Shh, Sakura. It'll be okay... you'll see," he whispered into her ear, and continued to whisper other whimsical things while rocking her gently.

Then his eyes fell on the Uchiha on their team and he definitely didn't like what he saw. Sasuke sat in the grass, looking completely lost. His face was so drenched in blood that Naruto only saw the eyes – still in their Sharingan form.

Naruto concentrated a bit more and saw that in Sasuke's left eye, a second _tomoe_ had been added to the black wheel.

Under different circumstances this would have been something to celebrate with his teammates.

_Crap_, Naruto thought and cursed furiously in his mind. This was the worst time ever for Sasuke's Sharingan to evolve. As far as he had understood it from what the Uchiha told them, the second _tomoe_ added the ability of a photographic memory to the Sharingan.

Depending on when the second _tomoe_ had appeared, Sasuke most likely branded most of the slaughter into his mind.

The Uchiha's eyes were glazed over as if he existed in a completely different world. Randomly, nearly looking like spasms, his fists clenched and unclenched.

"Bastard!" Naruto shouted over, hoping to bring his teammate out of his funk.

It didn't work.

"_Bastard!_" He tried again with no success.

_Damn it..._

"Sakura... can you hear me?" Naruto asked gently, once again whispering into the pink-haired girl's ear.

"_H-Hai_," Sakura answered, visibly trying and failing to gather herself.

"We have to help the Bastard," Naruto explained quietly. "He's in some kind of personal hell. His Sharingan evolved during the fight..."

"You mean..." Sakura asked, despite her own state quickly connecting the dots.

"Yes. Come, I'll carry you over to him."

"I... I can walk," Sakura said, suppressing another sob that threatened to escape.

Within seconds, both were in front of their black-haired teammate and their worry only grew.

Sasuke was still clenching his fists and muttered incoherent strings of words, "_Easy... so easy... like him. Just like him... so, so easy..._"

"_Bastard_, snap out of it!" Naruto gripped Sasuke's shoulder, but got no response.

"Sasuke," he tried again.

_Nothing._

Then the famed Uzumaki temper set in and with a quick slap, Sasuke's head shot side-ways. The Sharingan receded and the Uchiha's eyes focused on his teammates.

"_Dobe..._" Sasuke murmured. He quickly centered himself and saw both his teammates looking at him with worry. "I- I'm fine. Don't worry."

"Don't bullshit us, Sasuke," Naruto replied.

Sasuke was surprised. It was a very rare occurrence that the blond called him by his name; and the way in which he did it... was peculiar. A stern – Sasuke hesitated to call it aura – _something_ surrounded Naruto.

"... you heard me?" Naruto asked, ripping Sasuke away from his contemplations.

For a second there, Naruto had looked like a a person with authority to him – like a leader of men; and while Sasuke still wasn't sure if Naruto would manage his dream of becoming the Hokage, he suddenly had a lot less reservations about his clan serving under the man Naruto could potentially become.

"I had flashbacks. That's all," Sasuke explained tiredly. He didn't want want to explain the matter even more... then he saw that the blond still wasn't convinced and forced himself to continue.

They were his teammates now. They deserved as much...

"I had flashbacks to Itachi, my _brother,_" Sasuke spat out. "The kills... they were so easy. Just like it's been easy for him to murder _them_..."

No one needed to ask who he meant with '_them'_. The Uchiha massacre, as horrible as it was, was a well documented occurrence that could be found in most recent history books.

The only information new to Naruto, and which nearly made him choke, was that Uchiha Itachi had been Sasuke's big brother. He always thought that Sasuke's survival had been some lucky coincidence... but if it was his own brother...

_Fuck_, he cursed. What else could go wrong in their shitty lives? He looked over to Sakura and suddenly got the bad feeling that she, too, had a darker secret stashed somewhere.

Then he looked back to the Uchiha and his grip on Sasuke's shoulders became more firm. The boy had been sitting somewhat sideways to him while he explained, but now Naruto forced Sasuke to look at him.

Blue eyes bored into black.

"You're not alone, Sasuke," Naruto began and silenced the Uchiha with a single intense look as he wanted to protest. "Listen. You're not alone. We're here too, and we're your friends. I swear on my dream and ambition – we will find your brother and we will help you to kill him."

Sakura who had been listening the whole time, placed her hands over Naruto's. "Trust in us, Sasuke. We'll help you. That's what a team does... what a family does, right?"

"I-" Sasuke began, then stopped.

Naruto had never seen so much emotions in the stoical Uchiha as he now saw flickering through those onyx eyes.

After a second, the usual crafted facade of Sasuke was up again. Nonetheless, his lips turned upward minimally into a true, real smile as he spoke,"_Thank you_."

* * *

The last few days until they reached Eigyou Tokai were spend in ruminative silence as each of Kakashi's students dealt with the aftermath of the slaughter.

Well, not completely silent. While Kakashi was surprised to see Naruto smoking pipe – the boy had been ever so quick to introduce the literal hammer 'I've got a biju to heal me' into their conversation – he was even more surprised by the hobbies his other two charges had chosen for themselves.

Especially Sasuke. Never in a million years would he have thought that he'd ever see the cold, indifferent Uchiha play on a flute. His songs wavered between sad and angry, but were nonetheless played with a skill that could only be attributed to a master of his instrument.

The impeding questions, Sasuke quelled with a single sentence that nonetheless revealed more about the prodigy than anything else had ever done before.

… _my mother taught me_.

It was clear to everyone else on Team 7 that he had never stopped practicing – even after the massacre. Sasuke it seemed, had found a way of coping with traumas far earlier than anyone of them expected.

Next to her male teammates' outlandish hobbies, Sakura decided to keep it simple. She walked next to her teacher and read a trashy romance novel, having asked him for pointers in walking while reading a few hours ago.

From time to time she stumbled a bit, but it seemed as if she got better quite quickly.

On the eight day of their official mission, they arrived at the local merchant's guild and gave them a short summary of what happened as well as the unsealed remains of their kinsman and fellow trader.

Kakashi refused the offer to spend the night in the city and quickly ushered his charges back into the treetops.

_The quicker they were back in Konoha, the better._

* * *

**AN:** Ok. That was a long chapter. A very long one, and it'll have to satisfy you for at least a month... I actually hate myself for writing it, because – as I mentioned last chapter – I have exams coming up, and I just spent 2 days and wrote a completely new chapter.

Again I come to the conclusion that writing and reading FF's has way too much power about me, but meh... we are who we are.

**Used/Mentioned Jutsu:**

_Suit__ō__n: Semai Mizushuuha_ – Small stream of water (D-ranked once again – you should know this one by now :P)

_Suit__ō__n: Mizubunshin no Jutsu_ – Water Clone (C-ranked Jutsu)

_Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu_ – Hell-viewing Illusion (D-ranked Genjutsu)

_Magen: Kori Shinch__ū no Jutsu_ – Lets a person wander through an area repeatedly (C-ranked Genjutsu)

_Katōn: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_ – Fireball (C-ranked)

_Katōn: Hōsenka no Jutsu_ – Lots of small fireballs (C-ranked)

_Raitōn: Hisan Ikazuchi_ – Spark of electricity (C-ranked)


End file.
